EUGENE, Ore. – Behind competitive singles and doubles play, senior Aidan Carrazedo helped BYU upset No. 42 Drake 4-3 on Saturday at the Student Tennis Center in Oregon.
“Drake is a great team with great players and spirit,” BYU head coach Brad Pearce said. “This was the kind of win we needed. Our guys’ backs were to the wall in doubles and we fought back to take that point. We dug in and fought back in singles to win at three positions with Jake (Sullivan), John (Pearce) and Aidan (Carrazedo) with the clinch. Everyone here on this trip contributed to the team win today. Everyone did their job.”
With the match tied 3-3, Carrazedo outlasted Bayo Philips 7-6(4), 3-6, 6-2 at No. 6 singles to clinch the match and secure BYU’s victory.
Drake (6-4, 0-0 MVC) struck first in doubles as Keaton Cullimore and John Pearce fell 6-3 to Ben Stride and Ben Wood. BYU (8-6, 1-0 WCC) answered with a 6-3 win of its own as Jeremy Bourgeois and Matthew Pearce teamed up to defeat Vinny Gillespie and Bayo Philips. Carrazedo and Sam Tullis then clinched the doubles point with a hard-fought 7-6(14) win over Tom Hands and Barny Thorold.
The Bulldogs opened singles play with three decisive victories at No. 1, No. 5 and No. 3 singles, respectively, as Cullimore, Tullis and Matthew Pearce were defeated by their opponents in straight sets. Facing a 3-1 deficit, the Cougars turned up the momentum as John Pearce defeated Thorold 6-0, 6-4 at fourth singles followed by a win at the No. 2 slot as Jacob Sullivan bested Calum MacGeoch 6-3, 7-5 to tie the match.
Up next is an in-state matchup against Utah State on the road on Friday, March 3, at 11:30 a.m. MST before the Cougars return home to host Santa Clara on Saturday.
BYU 4, Drake 3
Doubles Results
- Bourgeois/M. Pearce (BYU) def. Gillespie/Philips (Drake) 6-3
- Stride/Wood (Drake) def. Cullimore/J. Pearce (BYU) 6-3
- Carrazedo/Tullis (BYU) def. Hands/Thorold (Drake) 7-6(14)
Order of finish: (2,1,3)
Singles Results
- Gillespie (Drake) def. Cullimore (BYU) 6-4, 6-0
- Sullivan (BYU) def. MacGeoch (Drake) 6-3, 7-5
- Stride (Drake) def. M. Pearce (BYU) 6-3, 6-2
- J. Pearce (BYU) def. Thorold (Drake) 6-0, 6-4
- Hands (Drake) def. Tullis (BYU) 6-2, 6-2
- Carrazedo (BYU) def. Philips (Drake) 7-6(4), 3-6, 6-2
Order of finish: (1,5,3,4,2,6)