PROVO, Utah — BYU men's tennis completed a 7-0 sweep of Montana at the Outdoor Tennis Courts on Friday afternoon. It was the Cougars' first outdoor match this season and second sweep on the year.
"I'm happy with the way we played for the first time playing outdoors this year," BYU head coach Dave Porter said. "It was also Montana's first time outside, and I think we had a bit of an advantage with a good home crowd there today. We wish them the best as the season goes on. I think it was good preparation for us in getting ready for Santa Clara, our first conference match of the year, tomorrow. The boys played well today, and we're looking to play well again tomorrow."
The Cougars (4-4) got off to a quick start, earning the doubles point after wins at No. 1 and No. 3 doubles. Sean Hill and Sam Tullis beat Moritz Stoeger and Pontus Hallgren at No. 3 doubles, 6-3. Ben Gajardo and Jack Barnett followed shortly thereafter at No. 1 doubles with a 6-3 win of their own.
In singles play, BYU picked up four wins within a matter of minutes to clinch the match. At No. 5 singles, Matheus Ferreira Leite beat Stoeger, 6-1, 6-1. Against Chase Bartlett in the No. 3 spot, Mateo Vereau Melendez also notched a 6-1, 6-1 win. Gajardo picked up a 6-2, 6-3 win at No. 2 singles, beating Oisin Shaffrey and giving the Cougars the fourth point needed for the win. Seconds later, Hill finished Ed Pudney, 6-2, 6-2, in the No. 1 spot, making it 5-0, BYU.
Dominik Jakovljevic lost the first set, but then rallied to earn an impressive come-from-behind win over Guillermo Martin, 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (7) in the No. 6 spot. After winning his first set handly, Tullis was down 0-5 in the second set, but came back to win it in the tiebreaker, completing the sweep for the Cougars with a 6-3, 7-6 (5) win at No. 4 singles.
The Cougars will be back at the Outdoor Tennis Courts again tomorrow, March 6, at 11 a.m. MST to open conference play against Santa Clara. There will be no live stream, but live stats will be available.
MATCH RESULTS
BYU 7 Montana 0
Doubles Competition
1. Ben Gajardo/Jack Barnett (BYU) def. Chase Bartlett/Oisin Shaffrey (UM), 6-3
2. Milo Benn/Ed Pudney (UM) vs. Mateo Vereau Melendez/Dominik Jakovljevic (BYU), 3-4, unf.
3. Sean Hill/Sam Tullis (BYU) def. Moritz Stoeger/Pontus Hallgren (UM), 6-3
Order of finish: (3, 1)
Singles Competition
1. Sean Hill (BYU) def. Ed Pudney (UM), 6-2, 6-2
2. Ben Gajardo (BYU) def. Oisin Shaffrey (UM), 6-2, 6-3
3. Mateo Vereau Melendez (BYU) def. Chase Bartlett (UM), 6-1, 6-1
4. Sam Tullis (BYU) def. Milo Benn (UM), 6-3, 7-6 (5)
5. Matheus Ferreira Leite (BYU) def. Moritz Stoeger (UM), 6-1, 6-1
6. Dominik Jakovljevic (BYU) def. Guillermo Martin (UM), 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (7)
Order of finish: (5, 3, 2, 1, 4, 6)