LAS VEGAS — BYU men's tennis came up short at UNLV, falling to the Rebels, 4-3, at the Fertitta Tennis Complex on Saturday.
"I'm incredibly disappointed with the loss," BYU head coach Dave Porter said. "We could have won every single match. The weather conditions were above what they should have been to legally play, but we played anyway. The winds were well in excess of 20 miles an hour, which was a big distraction, but we let it bother us and the wind was blowing on both sides, so it's something we should have adjusted to. It was wonderful having Jack Barnett back in the lineup. He won handily in his return to singles. Overall just disappointed, but we'll be back to work and we'll be ready for St. Mary's, a conference match this coming Friday."
The Cougars were ahead early, but the Rebels rallied to earn the doubles point. Anton Ornberg and Jack Atherton beat Sean Hill and Sam Tullis at No. 3 doubles, 6-4. Jordan Sauer and Milos Dabic then defeated Mateo Vereau Melendez and Matheus Ferreira Leite at No. 2 doubles, 7-6 (4) to clinch.
UNLV picked up the first win of singles play as Ornberg beat Melendez, 6-4, 6-4 in the No. 4 spot. In his first singles match since Jan. 30, Jack Barnett picked up a 6-3, 6-3 win over Dabic at No. 3 singles keeping BYU in it. The Rebels then answered in Sauer’s 6-4, 4-6, 6-0 win at No. 2 singles over Ben Gajardo.
Hill kept it close with a 7-6, 6-3 victory over Eric Samuelsson in the No. 1 spot, but Clayton Alenik beat Matheus Ferreira Leite, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 at No. 6 singles to earn the fourth point needed to win the match. Tullis then closed out the match with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 win in the No. 5 spot.
The Cougars will return home next week for their second conference match of the season, hosting Saint Mary's at the Indoor Tennis Courts on Friday, March 26, at 12 p.m. MDT.
MATCH RESULTS
BYU 3 UNLV 4
Doubles Competition
1. Ben Gajardo/Jack Barnett (BYU) vs. Eric Samuelsson/Clayton Alenik (UNLV), 6-6, uf.
2. Jordan Sauer/Milos Dabic (UNLV) def. Mateo Vereau Melendez/Matheus Ferreira Leite (BYU), 7-6 (4)
3. Anton Ornberg/Jack Atherton (UNLV) def. Sean Hill/Sam Tullis (BYU), 6-4
Order of finish: (3, 2)
Singles Competition
1. Sean Hill (BYU) def. Eric Samulesson (UNLV), 7-6, 6-3
2. Jordan Sauer (UNLV) def. Ben Gajardo (BYU), 6-4, 4-6, 0-6
3. Jack Barnett (BYU) def. Milos Dabic (UNLV), 6-3, 6-3
4. Anton Ornberg (UNLV) def. Mateo Vereau Melendez (BYU), 6-4, 6-4
5. Sam Tullis (BYU) vs. Tom Ciszewski (UNLV), 6-4, 3-6, 6-3
6. Clayton Alenik (UNLV) def. Matheus Ferreira Leite (BYU), 6-2, 3-6, 6-3
Order of finish: (4, 3, 2, 1, 6, 5)