LEXINGTON, Ky. – In its second match in as many days, No. 45 BYU men’s tennis lost to No. 39 Minnesota, 4-0, in the consolation final of the ITA Kick-Off Weekend at the Hilary J. Boone Varsity Tennis Center Saturday.

 

“We had an opportunity to get the doubles point against a very physical team,” BYU head coach Brad Pearce said. “There is no question that that would have helped our momentum going into singles.”

 

The Cougars (4-2) fell to the Gophers for their second-straight loss.

 

In doubles action, sophomore Andrey Goryachkov and freshman Jeremy Bourgeois led BYU with a strong victory over Leandro Toledo and Eric Frueh, 6-3, while fellow teammates Francis Sargeant and Sterling Galli fell to Jack Hamburg and Mathieu Froment, 6-2.

 

The Cougars had a shot at taking doubles, but freshmen Matthew Pearce and Jacob Sullivan were defeated in a close, hard-fought match versus Juan Pablo Ramirez and Franz Sydow, 6-5 (2).

 

The momentum swung in the favor of the Gophers as BYU fell in the first three singles matches to seal the outcome.

 

Bourgeois lost to Hamburg, 6-2, 6-2, while Sargeant lost to Toledo, 6-4, 6-1. It was his first singles loss on the season. Goryachkov put up a fight, going down versus Ruben Weber, 6-5 (3), 6-2. When the match was called, Pearce was down 2-1 in the third set against Froment with the match knotted at one apiece.

 

“They gave no ground during singles play with the wind at their backs and just beat us,” coach Pearce said. “We're a very young team and I'm pleased that we're 4-2 on the season, but this weekend showed that we need to keep working hard and improving to be an elite team. We're looking forward to returning home and getting back to work in preparation for Air Force and Denver, our regional rivals.”

 

The Cougars hit the road again for a showdown at Air Force, Friday at 9:30 a.m. MST. The following day they face No. 57 Denver at 4 p.m.

 

 

2014 ITA Kick-Off Weekend

Consolation Final

No. 39 Minnesota 4, No. 45 BYU 0

Hilary J. Boone Varsity Tennis Center – Lexington, Ky.

Sat. Jan 25, 2014

 

Doubles: (Order of finish: 1, 2, 3*)

1- Jack Hamburg/Mathieu Froment (MINN) def. Francis Sargeant/Sterling Galli (BYU) 6-2

2- Andrey Goryachkov/Jeremy Bourgeois (BYU) def. Leandro Toledo/Eric Frueh (MINN) 6-3

3- Juan Pablo Ramirez/Franz Sydow (MINN) def. Matthew Pearce/Jacob Sullivan (BYU) 6-5 (2)

 

Singles: (Order of finish: 3, 1, 2*)

1- Leandro Toledo (MINN) def. Francis Sargeant (BYU) 6-4, 6-1

2- Ruben Weber (MINN) def. Andrey Goryachkov (BYU) 6-5 (3), 6-2

3- Jack Hamburg (MINN) def. Jeremy Bourgeois (BYU) 6-2, 6-2

4- Eric Frueh (MINN) vs. Juan Canales (BYU) 1-1 (Abd.)

5- Mathieu Froment (MINN) led Matthew Pearce (BYU) 6-3, 1-6, 2-1

6- Jeremy Lynn (MINN) led Aidan Carrazedo (BYU) 1-0 (Abd.)

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.