LAS VEGAS- John Pearce posted the Cougars’ lone victory as BYU men’s tennis fell 4-1 to UNLV at the Fertitta Tennis Complex Saturday afternoon.

“I give credit to UNLV today,” BYU head coach Brad Pearce said. “They played a good match from the start of doubles through the conclusion of singles. With John’s win I felt we could get the job done in singles play because Jake (Sullivan) and Aidan (Carrazedo) were looking good. Time just ran out on us at the other positions. We’ll bounce back and be ready for our home match next Saturday against WCC opponent Pacific.”

UNLV (7-2, 0-0 Mountain West) dominated doubles play with two-consecutive 6-1 victories over BYU (9-8, 2-0 West Coast Conference) as Evaldo Neto and Jakob Amilon defeated Jeremy Bourgeois and Matthew Pearce. Courtney Lock and Ruben Alberts followed close behind with a win over Keaton Cullimore and John Pearce.

After winning the doubles point, the Rebels continued to overpower the Cougars in singles. Alberts topped Matthew Pearce 6-3, 6-4 on court three followed by another UNLV win as Bourgeois fell 6-2, 7-5 to Neto at the No. 4 slot.

Junior John Pearce stepped up for BYU, pulling out a strong 6-2, 6-4 victory at No. 5 singles over Lock, to put the Cougars on the board 3-1. Pearce’s win wasn’t enough, however, as Amilon clinched the match for the Rebels on court one with a 7-6(1), 6-2 victory over Cullimore.

Both Carrazedo and Sullivan were left on the courts after taking their matches into the third set when the match ended.

The Cougars return home to face conference foe Pacific on Saturday, March 18, at 12 p.m. MST. 

UNLV 4 BYU 1

Doubles Competition

1. Neto/Amilon (UNLV) def. Bourgeois/M. Pearce (BYU) 6-1
2. Lock/Alberts (UNLV) def. Cullimore/J. Pearce (BYU) 6-1
3. Solberg/Gage-Brown (UNLV) vs. Carrazedo/Sullivan (BYU) 4-3 (DNF)

Order of finish: (1,2)

Singles Competition

1. Amilon (UNLV) def. Cullimore (BYU) 7-6(1), 6-2
2. Sullivan (BYU) vs. Cozbinov (UNLV) 6-4, 4-6, 3-2 (DNF)
3. Alberts (UNLV) def. M. Pearce (BYU) 6-3, 6-4
4. Neto (UNLV) def. Bourgeois (BYU) 6-2, 7-5
5. J. Pearce (BYU) def. Lock (UNLV)  6-2, 6-4
6. Carrazedo (BYU) vs. Solberg (UNLV) 2-6, 7-6(1), 2-1 (DNF)

Order of finish: (3,4,5,1)

PROVO, Utah – Looking for a regional win after posting its second conference victory, BYU men’s tennis travels to Las Vegas to take on the UNLV Rebels on Saturday.

BYU (9-7, 2-0 West Coast Conference) split matches against Utah State and Santa Clara last weekend. The Cougars fell 4-3 to the Aggies in Logan before picking up a 4-2 victory over the Broncos at home. Both Keaton Cullimore and Matthew Pearce went 2-0 in singles over the weekend, while John Pearce pulled out a 7-5, 6-2 win at the No. 5 slot to clinch the match against Santa Clara. 

UNLV (5-2, 0-0 Mountain West) picked up a 5-2 victory over Loyola Marymount on the road on Feb. 16 after falling 4-0 to Santa Clara. The Rebels will be coming off a three-week break and will host Boston College on Friday before playing BYU. Last season, the Cougars defeated the Rebels 4-3 at home after Aidan Carrazedo clinched the match with a three-set comeback win over Richard Solberg.

BYU and UNLV face off on Saturday, March 11, at 11 a.m. PST at the Fertitta Tennis Complex in Las Vegas. Results will be posted to the BYU men's tennis schedule page.