LUBBOCK, Texas – The No. 69 Texas Tech Red Raiders begin Big 12 competition with two home matches this week. First, they host No. 52 Utah on Thursday at 5 p.m., followed by a matchup against No. 71 BYU on Saturday at 12 p.m. at the McLeod Tennis Center.

The Red Raiders and Utes have split their previous four meetings 2-2, with Texas Tech securing victories in the last two encounters over the past two seasons. Against BYU, Tech leads the all-time series 8-2, having won eight consecutive matches dating back to 1987.

Texas Tech (9-5) recently wrapped up its regular season at the Ed Collins Invitational in San Diego, where they finished 2-1 with wins over San Diego State and UC San Diego. Senior Piotr Pawlak played a crucial role in clinching two doubles points and securing a comeback singles victory, earning his first career Big 12 Player of the Week award.

Pawlak and Sebastian Abboud, ranked No. 80 in doubles, lead the team with 10 dual doubles victories. In singles play, freshman Ludovico Vaccari tops the team with nine wins, primarily at court four, followed by Abboud with eight wins, seven of which came at court six.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS

The No. 52 Utah Utes enter the matchup with a 10-5 overall record and a 1-0 start in Big 12 play. They have secured wins against Old Dominion, San Diego State, Denver, and Arizona State, while suffering defeats to Washington, South Alabama, Middle Tennessee, and UC Santa Barbara. Berk Bugarikj and Reid Jarvis lead the team in dual singles with eight wins each, while the No. 74-ranked duo of Jarvis and Dante Carlos Teramo has six doubles victories, all at court one.

The No. 71 BYU Cougars concluded their regular season with an 11-2 overall record and will open Big 12 play against Oklahoma State on Thursday. Their notable wins include victories over Air Force, Cal Poly, and Villanova, with their only losses coming against Oregon and Denver. BYU has a ranked doubles pair, as Zach Fuchs and Wally Thayne sit at No. 81 in the latest ITA rankings.

IN THE RANKINGS

Team
No. 52 Utah
No. 69 Texas Tech
No. 71 BYU

Doubles
No. 74 Dante Carlos Teramo/Reid Jarvis (Utah)
No. 80 Sebastian Abboud/Piotr Pawlak (Texas Tech)
No. 81 Zach Fuchs/Wally Thayne (BYU)