ALBUQUERQUE, NM – The BYU men’s tennis team dropped a close 4-3 match to New Mexico, Saturday afternoon at the McKinnon Family Tennis Stadium.

“Today was a true college tennis match," BYU assistant coach Aidan Carrazedo said. "We ended up one point shy of the team win, but our guys left it all out there. We will learn from this and we'll be ready to execute better down the stretch.”

The Cougars (3-5) got off to a strong start by claiming the doubles point over the Lobos (1-4).  Sean Hill and David Ball teamed up to defeat Stepan Holis and Alex Maggs, 6-3, at the No. 3 slot. On the second court, BYU pair Ben Gajardo and Sam Tullis topped Facundo Bermejo and Dominic West 6-2.

Heading into singles, the Lobos came back to win the next three matches.

At third singles, Gajardo put up a fight in the first set, but ultimately fell 6-7, 0-6 to Sergio Molina. Brocton Andrus lost in the sixth slot 3-6, 2-6 to Rafael Abdulsalam, while Mateo Vereau Melendez dropped his match 4-6, 2-6, to Holis at No. 2 singles.

Wins from Hill and Tullis brought the Cougars back into the match, tying it at 3-3. Hill overpowered West at No. 1 singles with a 6-3, 6-0 win and Tullis grabbed a 7-6, 6-4 victory over Raul Dobai.

Matheus Ferreira Leite played the deciding match against Bermejo at No. 5 singles. After losing the first set, Leite came back and overpowered Bermejo in the second set. Leite held match point in the third set but ultimately fell 2-6, 6-1, 5-7.

BYU remains on the road to take on UNLV on Thursday, Feb. 13, at 1 p.m. PST. Live stats will be available on the men’s tennis schedule page.

MATCH RESULTS

UNM 4, BYU 3

Singles Results

1. Sean Hill (BYU) def. Dominic West (UNM), 6-3, 6-0
2. Stepan Holis (UNM) def. Mateo Vereau Melendez (BYU), 6-4, 6-2
3. Sergio Molina (UNM) def. Ben Gajardo (BYU), 7-6 (7-5), 6-0
4. Sam Tullis (BYU) def. Raul Dobai (UNM), 7-6 (7-2), 6-4
5. Facundo Bermejo (UNM) def. Matheus Ferreira Leite (BYU), 6-2, 1-6, 7-5
6. Rafael Abdulsalam (UMN) def. Brocton Andrus (BYU), 6-3, 6-2

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

Doubles Results

1. Jake Trondson/Raul Dobai (UMN) vs. Mateo Vereau Melendez/Matheus Ferreira Leite (BYU), 5-2 (unfinished)
2. Ben Gajardo/Sam Tullis (BYU) def. Dominic West/Facundo Bermejo (UNM), 6-2
3. Sean Hill/David Ball (BYU) def. Stepan Holis/Alex Maggs (UNM), 6-3

Order of finish: (3, 2)

PROVO, Utah – After two successful matches at home, the BYU men’s tennis team hits the road once again to face the University of New Mexico, Saturday, Feb. 8, at 11 a.m. MST, at the Lobo Tennis Courts.

The Cougars (3-4) went 2-0 at home, where they defeated East Tennessee State and Weber State. Sean Hill and David Ball were named the West Coast Conference Men’s Tennis Doubles Team of the Week. The honor announced by the league is the first of the season.

The Lobos (0-4) are coming off two losses to Louisville and Gonzaga at the ITA Kick-off Weekend. BYU holds an even 11-11 record with New Mexico, going 7-6 on the Lobos’ home courts.

The results will be updated following the match on the men’s tennis schedule page.