IRVINE -- The No. 60 BYU men's tennis team finally found itself on the right end of a tight match. The Cougars (2-5, 0-0) swept the first four singles positions to edge UC Irvine 4-3 Wednesday afternoon in Irvine, Calif.
Just like they did the day before, the Cougars failed to win the doubles point. Jeff Harbach and Jeff Olsen won 8-5 at the No. 2 spot for BYU's only doubles victory. The No. 10 team of Carlos Lozano and Gert Vilms lost to No. 27 Endrikat/Morton 8-4. The Anteaters clinched the point by winning over Nic Losee and Erik Nyman 9-8 (7-5).
BYU made up for the doubles loss by dominating the top seeds in singles play. Lozano and Vilms switched postions and both won their matches. Lozano won 6-7, 7-6, 6-3 at the No. 1 position in his first action at the spot. Vilms won 6-4, 7-6 at No. 2. Nyman got back on track after a two-match losing streak to win at No. 3, 6-3, 7-6. Nic Losee continued his winning ways by winning 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 at the No. 4 spot.
BYU had already lost two matches this season by the score of 4-3. The Cougars will return home and play in their first home match Mar. 1 against Utah State.
FINAL RESULTS
DOUBLES
No. 1 No. 27 Endrikat/Morton (UCI) def. No. 10 Lozano/Vilms (BYU) 9-7
No. 2 Harbach/Olsen (BYU) def. Bjorkman/O'Connor (UCI) 8-5
No. 3 Haynes/Williams (UCI) def. Losee/Nyman (BYU) 9-8 (7-5)
UCI WINS DOUBLES POINT
SINGLES
No. 1 Carlos Lozano (BYU) def. Carl Lumsden (UCI) 6-7, 7-6, 6-3
No. 2 Gert Vilms (BYU) def. Jonathan Endrikat (UCI) 6-4, 7-6
No. 3 Erik Nyman (BYU) def. Sean O'Connor (UCI) 6-3, 7-6
No. 4 Nic Losee (BYU) def. Greg Bjorkman (UCI) 6-2, 3-6, 6-4
No. 5 Dontia Haynes (UCI) def. Anton Rudjuk (BYU) 6-3, 6-2
No. 6 Brian Morton (UCI) def. Jeff Olsen (BYU) 7-6, 6-4
BYU WINS MATCH 4-3