LEXINGTON, Ky. – In it's first match versus a ranked opponent this season, No. 45 BYU men’s tennis fell to No. 8 Kentucky, 4-0, in the semifinal match of the ITA Kick-Off Weekend at the Hilary J. Boone Varsity Tennis Center, Friday.

 

“I thought we put up a good fight against a very good team this afternoon,” BYU head coach Brad Pearce said. “I was pleased with the effort. We were down a key man in Frankie (Sargeant), and Andrey (Goryachkov) is coming back from a sprained ankle. But we hope to have both of them ready for tomorrow against either Notre Dame or Minnesota.”

 

The Cougars (4-1) suffered their first loss of the season at the hands of the Wildcats (5-0) while playing without team captain Francis Sargeant. 

 

Kentucky claimed the doubles point in the first part of the match. Freshmen Juan Canales and Sterling Galli were defeated by Alejandro Gomez and Beck Pennington, 6-1. Fellow freshmen Matthew Pearce and Jacob Sullivan had similar fortunes, falling 6-2 to their opponents.

 

Sophomore Andrey Goryachkov led off in the first singles spot in his match versus No. 68 Tom Jomby, losing in a hard-fought effort, 6-4, 6-4.

 

Three of BYU’s freshmen each came up with solid efforts in singles as well. Pearce and Canales both fell to their opponents, while Jeremy Bourgeois faced Pennington, taking him into tiebreakers in the first set, 6-5 (6) and playing to a 2-2 tie before the match was called.

 

The Cougars are back in action as the ITA Kick-Off Weekend continues on Saturday at 1 p.m. EST. They will face the match winner of No. 29 Notre Dame versus No. 39 Minnesota. 

 

Live stats of the match can be followed on Kentucky’s athletics website.

 

PROVO, Utah--After posting two wins in its first road trip of 2014, No. 45 BYU men’s tennis gears up for two competitive matches at the ITA Kick-Off Weekend with the first match versus No. 8 Kentucky on Friday at 1 p.m. EST in Lexington, Ky.

 

The Cougars (4-0) face the Wildcats (4-0) in the first day of competition. On Saturday they  will play either No. 29 Notre Dame or No. 39 Minnesota in the championship or consolation match. 

 

“We're feeling good at 4-0 for the season,” BYU head coach Brad Pearce said. “It hasn't been easy, but our guys are finding a way to win.”  

 

Friday marks the first tough test for BYU this season. In the first road trip this season the team came away with a 4-3 win against No. 74 George Washington and a 5-2 win over a solid Navy team. 

 

“We have a challenge ahead of us,” coach Pearce said. “We're excited about playing No. 8 Kentucky on their home courts, and it will be great to play either of the other two highly-ranked teams, Notre Dame or Minnesota. We'll be prepared to give Kentucky everything we have and see what happens for the next round.”

 

For a roster that has eight freshmen and only three returning players, the results have been solid. 

 

Junior Francis Sargeant leads the team with an undefeated record in singles (4-0) and doubles matches (4-0) with freshman teammate Sterling Galli. 

 

The newcomers are pulling their weight with Matthew Pearce, Juan Canales and Aidan Carrazedo each posting a 3-1 record. Pearce and fellow freshman Jacob Sullivan have also compiled a 3-1 doubles record through the first four matches.

 

The second day of competition continues Saturday with the consolation at 1 p.m. EST and the championship at 5 p.m. Live stats can be followed on the Kentucky website.