The No. 8 Longhorns (13–3) boarded their plane Wednesday afternoon with a “business as usual” mentality. Spring break commences today, but Texas tennis still has work to do. 

Many Longhorn students will make long treks this weekend to let loose. But the men’s tennis team makes a daunting 1,700-mile excursion — the longest road trip on Texas’ regular season schedule — with two tough Californian opponents awaiting them. 

The Longhorns head to California for a match against No. 41 Stanford on Friday, followed by a top-10 showdown against No. 6 California on Saturday.

“We’re not going out there just to see California,” freshman Christian Sigsgaard said. “We’ve got to go out there and compete if we want to win those matches.”

Texas leaves the comfort of the 40 Acres after a three-game home stand that resulted in wins against No. 50 Wichita State and No. 38 Rice but a blowout loss to No. 2 Wake Forest.

Sophomore Harrison Scott looks to get back on track after losing his last two singles matches. The Canadian native held a perfect record of 12–0 in singles play this season before the two-game skid.

“Harrison always plays his heart out,” head coach Michael Center said. “He didn’t play his best tennis last weekend, but I’m not worried about him. He’ll be fine.”

The Longhorns stare down the barrel at their most grueling stretch of the season as they take on No. 1 Ohio State and No. 24 Columbia once they return from their road trip.

The string of three-straight top-25 opponents presents Texas with a firsthand feel for the level of talent it could run into during the NCAA Championships come May.

“I’m looking forward to playing some of the best teams in the country and hopefully getting some wins,” Sigsgaard said. “I’m definitely excited about it. This is what we play for.”

The first serve at Stanford is scheduled for Friday at 3 p.m. PT, followed by a 2 p.m. start time against California on Saturday.