Upcoming Event: Men's Tennis versus Utah Invitational on October 3, 2025
Men's Tennis
vs Utah Invitational
Friday, February 21
Salt Lake City, UT
2:00 PM
University of Utah
vs
Iowa
Photo by: Jake Laramie
Utah Men's Tennis Ready for No. 23 Iowa Friday, Doubleheader Saturday
2/19/2020 10:47 AM | Men's Tennis
Utes set to host trio of teams this weekend.
FIRST SERVE
After two matches on the road last week, the Utah men's tennis team (7-4, 0-0 Pac-12) will be back at the George S. Eccles Tennis Center in Salt Lake City for three home matches this weekend. Looking to continue the home dominance, Utah will first take on the No. 23-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes (7-1, 0-0 Big 10) this Friday, Feb. 21 at 2 p.m. MT.
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The Utes will then look to a pair of matches on Saturday, Feb. 22, as they will square off against Montana State (2-1, 0-0 Big Sky) at 10 a.m. MT, followed by a match with Southern Utah (2-2, 0-0 Big Sky) at 4 p.m. MT. A stream for all three matches can be found here.
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BREAKING INTO THE RANKINGS
Battling in the top doubles position for Utah, juniors Russell Benkaim and Randy Cory have found rhythm as a pair and have won their last seven matches. In the latest ITA poll, the Ute duo broke into the top-60 doubles teams in the nation and are ranked the No. 54 duo. Most recently, Benkaim and Cory went 2-0 over the weekend with wins against the No. 1 doubles teams from Denver and New Mexico. The Ute duo holds an 8-3 record this spring and have contributed to Utah winning 9-of-11 doubles points to take an early lead over their opponent.
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HOME SWEET HOME
The Utes have had a hot start at home this season and have launched the 2020 home slate with a perfect 7-0 record at the Eccles Tennis Center. Utah has established a significant home-court advantage under the guidance of head coach Roeland Brateanu and since the start of the 2015 season, Utah has posted a combined record of 58-16 on their home courts. Continuing the portion of the season where 11-of-13 matches are played within the Eccles Tennis Center, Utah will have the next five duals in Salt Lake City before hitting the road again.
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SCOUTING IOWA
After dropping their season-opening match, Iowa men's tennis has won seven-straight to sit at 7-1 on the season and rank No. 23 in the nation. The Hawkeyes most recently picked up wins against Middle Tennessee (4-2) and Wichita State (4-2). Iowa is led by redshirt senior Kareem Allaf who is ranked as the nation's No. 61 singles player in the latest ITA rankings and plays in the No. 1 position for the Hawkeyes. Along with Allaf, Iowa also has the No. 10-ranked doubles duo in the nation in Will Davies and Oliver Okonkwo.
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SCOUTING MONTANA STATE & SOUTHERN UTAH
Montana State has played just three matches this season and have earned wins over Whitman and Seattle. The Bobcats are led by sophomore Nejc Sitar, who currently holds both the No. 1 position in singles and doubles. Last year, the Utes downed the Bobcats in sweeping fashion.
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The Southern Utah men's tennis team comes into their match with the Utes with a 2-2 overall record and are coming off a 4-3 loss against UC Riverside. The Thunderbirds are led by RJ Parker, a transfer to Southern Utah from Utah after his 2018-19 freshman season, who currently holds the No. 1 spot in both singles and doubles for SUU.
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LAST TIME OUT
The Utes were on the road for two matches this past weekend and dropped the contests 4-3 to both Denver and New Mexico. Against Denver, Utah won the doubles point from wins by Benkaim/Cory and Mathias Gavelin/Wally Thayne. Picking up singles wins against the Pioneers were Franco Capalbo and Gavelin. On Sunday against New Mexico, Utah gained singles wins from Benkaim, Shainyan and Azat Hankuliyev, but it wasn't enough to overcome the Lobos.
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UP NEXT
The Utah men's tennis team will continue play at the Eccles Tennis Center with matches against Loyola Marymount and Northern Arizona next week. Both matches will take place on Saturday, Feb. 29 with the match against LMU at 12 p.m. MT, followed by a match against Northern Arizona at 5 p.m. MT to wrap up Utah's final doubleheader of the season.
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After two matches on the road last week, the Utah men's tennis team (7-4, 0-0 Pac-12) will be back at the George S. Eccles Tennis Center in Salt Lake City for three home matches this weekend. Looking to continue the home dominance, Utah will first take on the No. 23-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes (7-1, 0-0 Big 10) this Friday, Feb. 21 at 2 p.m. MT.
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The Utes will then look to a pair of matches on Saturday, Feb. 22, as they will square off against Montana State (2-1, 0-0 Big Sky) at 10 a.m. MT, followed by a match with Southern Utah (2-2, 0-0 Big Sky) at 4 p.m. MT. A stream for all three matches can be found here.
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BREAKING INTO THE RANKINGS
Battling in the top doubles position for Utah, juniors Russell Benkaim and Randy Cory have found rhythm as a pair and have won their last seven matches. In the latest ITA poll, the Ute duo broke into the top-60 doubles teams in the nation and are ranked the No. 54 duo. Most recently, Benkaim and Cory went 2-0 over the weekend with wins against the No. 1 doubles teams from Denver and New Mexico. The Ute duo holds an 8-3 record this spring and have contributed to Utah winning 9-of-11 doubles points to take an early lead over their opponent.
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HOME SWEET HOME
The Utes have had a hot start at home this season and have launched the 2020 home slate with a perfect 7-0 record at the Eccles Tennis Center. Utah has established a significant home-court advantage under the guidance of head coach Roeland Brateanu and since the start of the 2015 season, Utah has posted a combined record of 58-16 on their home courts. Continuing the portion of the season where 11-of-13 matches are played within the Eccles Tennis Center, Utah will have the next five duals in Salt Lake City before hitting the road again.
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SCOUTING IOWA
After dropping their season-opening match, Iowa men's tennis has won seven-straight to sit at 7-1 on the season and rank No. 23 in the nation. The Hawkeyes most recently picked up wins against Middle Tennessee (4-2) and Wichita State (4-2). Iowa is led by redshirt senior Kareem Allaf who is ranked as the nation's No. 61 singles player in the latest ITA rankings and plays in the No. 1 position for the Hawkeyes. Along with Allaf, Iowa also has the No. 10-ranked doubles duo in the nation in Will Davies and Oliver Okonkwo.
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SCOUTING MONTANA STATE & SOUTHERN UTAH
Montana State has played just three matches this season and have earned wins over Whitman and Seattle. The Bobcats are led by sophomore Nejc Sitar, who currently holds both the No. 1 position in singles and doubles. Last year, the Utes downed the Bobcats in sweeping fashion.
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The Southern Utah men's tennis team comes into their match with the Utes with a 2-2 overall record and are coming off a 4-3 loss against UC Riverside. The Thunderbirds are led by RJ Parker, a transfer to Southern Utah from Utah after his 2018-19 freshman season, who currently holds the No. 1 spot in both singles and doubles for SUU.
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LAST TIME OUT
The Utes were on the road for two matches this past weekend and dropped the contests 4-3 to both Denver and New Mexico. Against Denver, Utah won the doubles point from wins by Benkaim/Cory and Mathias Gavelin/Wally Thayne. Picking up singles wins against the Pioneers were Franco Capalbo and Gavelin. On Sunday against New Mexico, Utah gained singles wins from Benkaim, Shainyan and Azat Hankuliyev, but it wasn't enough to overcome the Lobos.
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UP NEXT
The Utah men's tennis team will continue play at the Eccles Tennis Center with matches against Loyola Marymount and Northern Arizona next week. Both matches will take place on Saturday, Feb. 29 with the match against LMU at 12 p.m. MT, followed by a match against Northern Arizona at 5 p.m. MT to wrap up Utah's final doubleheader of the season.
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Players Mentioned
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