STILLWATER, Okla. — BYU men’s tennis fell 4-0 to top seed and No. 5-ranked Texas in the Big 12 Championship opening quarterfinal round on Friday afternoon at the Michael and Anne Greenwood Tennis Center.
"This team gave everything they had today," said BYU head coach Zack Warren. "They were battling for BYU and battling for Jack in his final match as a Cougar. I could go on for a long time about how proud I am of Jack and how he carried himself and represented the team throughout the season. Credit to Texas today. They have been the best team in the country over the last two months and they are class acts as well. Best of luck to them going forward."
After dropping the doubles point, the No. 8-seeded Cougars (11-11, 0-8 Big 12) couldn’t establish enough momentum to flip the script in singles play. Senior Jack Barnett’s battle with the nation’s top-ranked singles player Eliot Spizzirri ended in a narrow 4-6 first set defeat before losing in straight sets. Wally Thayne kept things close against No. 3 Micah Braswell, with the match going unfinished at 3-6, 5-6.
Redd Owen fell 5-7 in the first set after seeking a 6-5 lead while serving at 5-5 on court four. Owen’s match also went unfinished.
Friday's outcome marked the Cougars' final match of the 2023-24 campaign.
"As we head into the summer, I don't anticipate this group taking too much time off," Warren said. "They're an eager group of guys who want to get back on the court. They've seen what they're capable of and want to continue building on that. Lastly, big thanks to our entire staff, it's an amazing group of people who are here to support BYU men's tennis. We're excited to see Cougar Nation back in the fall. Go Cougs!"
Doubles Results
1. No. 22 Eliot Spizzirri/Siem Woldeab (Texas) def. No. 71 Wally Thayne/Zach Fuchs 6-2
2. Redd Owen/Jack Barnett (BYU) vs. Pierre-Yves Bailly/Eshan Talluri (Texas) 4-4 (unfinished)
3. Micah Braswell/Cleeve Harper (Texas) def. TJ Wells/Tygen Goldammer (BYU) 6-0
Order of finish: 3, 1
Texas forged ahead in the doubles count with a 6-0 win on court three over TJ Wells and Tygen Goldammer. No. 71 Thayne and Zach Fuchs fell behind 0-4 before the duo won a game on Fuchs’ serve. The pair made the next game 30-40 on a strong forehand return from Fuchs, but ultimately fell 2-6 as the Longhorns clinched the doubles point.
Barnett and Owen’s match went unfinished. The pair held serve with both, winning on a deuce point with Owen serving as Texas hit the ball into the net to make it 4-4 before the match was abandoned.
Singles Results
1. No. 1 Eliot Spizziri (Texas) def. Jack Barnett (BYU) 6-4, 6-2
2. No. 3 Micah Braswell (Texas) vs. Wally Thayne (BYU) 6-3, 6-5 (unfinished)
3. No. 39 Gilles-Arnaud Bailly (Texas) def. Zach Fuchs 6-3, 6-0
4. Siem Woldeab (Texas) vs. Redd Owen (BYU) 7-5, 5-0 (unfinished)
5. Jonah Braswell (Texas) vs. Tygen Goldammer (BYU) 6-2, 4-4 (unfinished)
6. Lucas Brown (Texas) def. David Duong (BYU) 6-0, 6-0
Order of finish: 6, 3, 1
Texas went ahead 2-0 in the team tally with Lucas Brown's 6-0, 6-0 win on court six over David Duong. Fuchs’ battled with No. 39 Gilles-Arnaud Bailly at No. 3 singles, keeping things close at 3-4 in the first set. Bailly then held serve and secured a break to win 6-3. Fuchs lost 0-6 in the second set, dropping a pair of deuce points in the final two games.
The Longhorns clinched the dual match on court one as Spizziri defeated Barnett 6-4, 6-2. Down 2-4, Barnett registered game point ace to trim the deficit. He then held serve again to make it 4-5 before Spizzirri took set one. In set two, Barnett fell behind a break early and then made it 2-3 off a baseline winner with Spizzirri at the net. The senior then dropped the remaining games.
Thayne began set one against Micah Braswell tied at 3-3, but Braswell won three straight to close out the first set. In set two, the junior went up 4-1 before a couple of breaks went Texas’s way. Thayne went up 5-4, but then trailed 5-6 as the match went unfinished.
Down 4-5 in set one, Owen racked up a break, but later lost on deuce point while serving as opponent Siem Woldeab went on to win 7-5. The sophomore then fell behind 0-5 in the second set when the match was abandoned. At No. 5 singles, Goldammer suffered a 2-6 setback in the first set, but responded by jumping out to a 3-1 lead in set two. The match was abandoned at 4-4.
Photo Credit: Big 12 Conference