CLAREMONT, Calif. – No. 2 seed BYU men’s tennis fell 4-2 to No. 3 seed Loyola Marymount in the semifinal round of the West Coast Conference tournament Friday morning at the Biszantz Tennis Center.

“We did everything right in our preparation and game planning,” BYU head coach Brad Pearce said. “Earning the doubles point was key to get the start we wanted, but we didn’t get enough traction in singles play. We give credit to LMU—best of luck to them tomorrow. Despite the loss, it was positive to have our lone senior John Pearce end his career with two wins, and to have Sean Hill still on the court battling. We’ve had a good season and are already looking forward to next season with a more experienced team and promising incoming players.”

The Cougars (18-7, 7-2 WCC) ended the regular season coming in second place in the WCC heading into the tournament. With a first-round bye, BYU was ready to play LMU (19-5, 7-2 WCC) in the semifinal round.

In doubles, Sean Hill and Jeffrey Hsu dropped their match 6-4 to Nick Borchenko and Lukas Moenter in the No. 1 slot. The Cougars earned the doubles points with two consecutive wins in the No. 2 and No. 3 lines. Brother duo John and Matthew Pearce defeated Diego Nava and Ethan Prost 6-4. In a close match, Sam Tullis and Ben Gajardo earned a 7-6 win over Charles Boyce and Lucas Moreno.

Moving into singles and up 1-0, J. Pearce earned the Cougars their only singles win right off. He defeated Boyce 6-3, 6-2 in the No. 5 slot. Gajardo fell to Errol Smith 6-3, 6-2 in the No. 4 slot, and Matthew Pearce dropped his match 6-4, 6-4 to Borchenko in No. 6 singles.

Tied 2-all, the Lions took wins in the next two lines to secure their advancement to the finals of the the WCC tournament. Moreno defeated Tullis 6-4, 6-3 in the No. 3 slot and Moenter earned a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Hsu.

BYU concludes its 2017-18 season with an overall record of 18-7, 7-2 and four players who earned All-WCC honors.

BYU 2, Loyola Marymount 4

Doubles Results

1. BORCHENKO, Nick/MOENTER, Lukas (LMU) def. HILL, Sean/HSU, Jeffrey (BYU) 6-4
2. TULLIS, Sam/GAJARDO, Ben (BYU) def. BOYCE, Charles/MORENO, Lucas (LMU) 7-6
3. PEARCE, John/PEARCE, Matthew (BYU) def. NAVA, Diego/PROST, Ethan (LMU) 6-4

Order of finish: (1, 3, 2)

Singles Results

1. HILL, Sean (BYU) vs. DIAZ-FREIRE, Gabriel (LMU) 7-5, 4-3 (DNF)
2. MOENTER, Lukas (LMU) def. HSU, Jeffrey (BYU) 7-5 6-3
3. MORENO, Lucas (LMU) def. TULLIS, Sam (BYU) 6-4, 6-3
4. SMITH, Errol (LMU) def. GAJARDO, Ben (BYU) 6-2, 7-5
5. PEARCE, John (BYU) def. BOYCE, Charles (LMU) 6-3, 6-2
6. BORCHENKO, Nick (LMU) def. PEARCE, Matthew (BYU) 6-4, 6-4

Order of finish: (5, 4, 6, 3, 2)

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WCC Tournament Schedule 

PROVO, Utah – BYU men’s tennis finished second in the West Coast Conference regular-season race and heads into the league tournament Apr. 27-28 as the No. 2 seed behind No. 44 San Diego.  

“The final standings and results reflect the depth of the WCC teams on the men’s side,” BYU head coach Brad Pearce said. “No team went through the regular season unscathed with the No. 10 team in the league, Saint Mary’s, taking the No. 1 team, San Diego, down to the wire. We were one match point away from tying San Diego for the regular-season title. Going into the WCC tournament as the No. 2 seed is a great accomplishment and something our guys can be proud of.”

The Cougars closed the regular season with a 18-6, 7-2 record. BYU's only two league losses were to San Diego and Santa Clara. The top six seeds compete in the tournament. 

2018 WCC Men’s Tennis Standings

1. San Diego
2. BYU
3. Loyola Marymount
4. Portland
5. Santa Clara
6. Pacific

BYU gets a first-round bye in the conference tournament and will compete Friday, April 27, at 10 a.m. PST in the semifinal round against the winner of the LMU vs. Pacific match taking place on Thursday. If the Cougars win, they will advance to the finals on Saturday, April 28, at 10 a.m. PST. All matches will be played at the Biszantz Tennis Center in Claremont, California.

Sam Tullis leads BYU with 18 singles wins this season in the No. 3 or 4 slots.  Doubles duo Sean Hill and Jeffrey Hsu are 11-3 in No. 1 doubles. This season, the Cougars swept Pacific 4-0 and defeated LMU 4-1.

Live stats will be available on the men’s schedule page and results will be updated immediately following each match.

WCC Tournament Schedule 

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