LOGAN, Utah – Sam Tullis boosted BYU men’s tennis to a 4-3 win over Utah State on Thursday night.

“Utah State is a very good team,” BYU head coach Brad Pearce said. “They are well-coached and they are great fighters, so it’s always a dog fight when we play, home or away. It was looking good for us, then it was looking bad for us, but our guys just didn’t quit and Matthew [Pearce] and Sam stepped up and played lights out in their third sets with Sam providing the clinching win after great doubles at every position and another stellar performance by Sean [Hill]. I’m proud of every member of this team; they all gave it everything they had both on the court and off.”

BYU (5-2) came out ready to play and claimed the doubles point over Utah State (4-3). Teammates Tullis and Ben Gajardo earned a 6-3 win in No. 2 doubles over USU’s Duro Opacic and Isaac Arturo Arevalo and BYU duo Mateo Vereau Melendez and Pearce followed with a 6-3 victory over Mitch Johnson and Felipe Acosta in the No. 3 spot.

Hill claimed the first singles point for the Cougars as he defeated Arevalo 6-4, 6-1, in the No. 1 spot.

With BYU up 2-0, the Aggies came back with three straight singles wins to put the score at 3-2. The No. 3 slot finished first with Acosta topping Vereau 1-6, 6-1, 6-1. Sergiu Bucur followed at No. 2 singles with the close 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 win over Jeffrey Hsu and Bollipalli earned the last Aggie point in No. 5 singles by defeating Gajardo 7-5, 7-5.

Down a point, the Cougars came back and won the last two singles matches. Pearce claimed a point when he defeated Johnson 6-1, 3-6, 6-1 in No. 6 singles. BYU secured its 4-3 match victory when Tullis ousted Opacic 6-7, 6-3, 6-1 in No. 4 singles.

The Cougars’ next match against UCLA has been postponed due to weather conditions. BYU will begin conference play at home against Santa Clara on Feb. 9 at 5 p.m. MDT.

MATCH RESULTS

BYU 4, USU 3

DOUBLES RESULTS

1. Rithvik Bollipalli/Sergiu Bucur (USU) vs. #19 Sean Hill/Jeffrey Hsu (BYU) 4-4, unfinished
2. Jacob Tullis/Ben Gajardo (BYU) def. Duro Opacic/Isaac Arturo Arevalo (USU) 6-3
3. Mateo Vereau/Matthew Pearce (BYU) def. Mitch Johnson/Felipe Acosta (USU) 6-3

Order of finish: (2, 3)

SINGLES RESULTS

1. Sean Hill (BYU) def. Isaac Arturo Arevalo (USU) 6-4, 6-1
2. Sergiu Bucur (USU) def. Jeffrey Hsu (BYU) 3-6, 6-2, 6-2
3. Felipe Acosta (USU) def. Mateo Vereau (BYU) 1-6, 6-1, 6-1
4. Sam Tullis (BYU) def. Duro Opacic (USU) 6-7 (7-9), 6-3, 6-1
5. Rithvik Bollipalli (USU) def. Ben Gajardo (BYU) 7-5, 7-5
6. Matthew Pearce (BYU) def. Mitch Johnson (USU) 6-1, 3-6, 6-1

Order of finish: (1, 3, 2, 5, 6, 4)

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PROVO, Utah – BYU men’s tennis is on the road at Utah State on Thursday and at No. 7 UCLA Saturday.

BYU faces Utah State on Thursday, Jan. 31, at 5 p.m. MDT. Previously scheduled to face No. 7 UCLA on Saturday, Feb. 2, match time between the Cougars and the Bruins is to be determined, dependent on weather. 

BYU
The Cougars (4-2) went 1-1 last week at the ITA Kickoff Weekend, falling to No. 1 Wake Forest 0-4 and defeating Old Dominion 4-2.

Utah State
The Aggies (4-2) have recorded wins against Washington, UC Irvine, Idaho State and Weber State. The two in-state rivals met last year in Provo when the Aggies defeated BYU 4-1.

No. 7 UCLA
The Bruins (2-0) picked up wins against Indiana and Washington so far this year. UCLA ended the 2017-18 season ranked No. 3 with a 30-3 record.

Links to live stats and a live stream are available on the men’s tennis schedule. Results will be updated following the matches.

Follow Men’s Tennis on Social Media 
Fans can keep up with the latest on Cougar tennis by following us on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/byumenstennis), Twitter (@BYU_Mens_Tennis) and Instagram (@byumtennis).