PORTLAND, Ore. — Wins by Sam Tullis and Mateo Vereau Melendez highlighted a 4-3, come-from-behind BYU men's tennis win over Portland at the Louisiana-Pacific Tennis Center on Thursday.

"It was a great team win today against a very good Portland team," BYU head coach Dave Porter said. "It was probably the best behaved and hardest fought match of the year, they're a real class act. We were disappointed we didn't get the doubles point, but came back and won four of the singles in dramatic fashion. We're very pleased with the outcome today and the way that the kids played. We're looking forward to Gonzaga on Saturday, and then getting back home."

After trailing on all three courts, the Cougars rallied to tie each doubles match at 4-4 and then take a 5-4 lead at both No. 2 and No. 3 doubles. At No. 1 doubles, No. 71 Jack Barnett and Ben Gajardo fell, 6-4, with both matches on courts two and three tied at 6-6. 

Sean Hill and Sam Tullis lost in the tiebreaker at the No. 2 spot, 7-6 (6), allowing the Pilots to clinch. Mateo Vereau Melendez and Brigham Andrus finished their match at the No. 3 spot moments after, earning a 7-6 (7) win, but Portland had already won the doubles point. 

In singles play, Gajardo beat Yoshida at the No. 3 spot for quick 6-3, 6-4 win. Sema Pankin then beat Hill at No. 1 singles, 6-4, 6-4. Barnett followed with an exciting 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 victory at No. 2 singles to tie the match a 2-2.

At No. 6 singles, Matheus Ferreira Leite fell 6-3, 6-4 to Leo Hibi, giving Portland a 3-2 lead. Matches at both No. 4 and No. 5 singles went to the third set, with Tullis beating Oberg 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (4) in an exciting match at the No. 4 spot to tie it up a 3-3. Moment later, Melendez clinched it for the Cougars with a 7-6 (1), 6-7 (7), 6-2 victory in the No. 5 spot.

The Cougars will now make their way up to Spokane for another West Coast Conference matchup at Gonzaga on Saturday, April 3, at 11 a.m. PDT. Both live stats and a live stream will be available.

MATCH RESULTS

BYU 4 UP 3

Doubles Competition

1. Eleftherios Neos/Issa Yoshida (UP) def. Jack Barnett/Ben Gajardo (BYU), 6-4

2. Sema Pankin/Nikolas Tvedt (UP) def. Sean Hill/Sam Tullis (BYU), 7-6 (6)

3. Mateo Vereau Melendez/Brigham Andrus (BYU) def. Nicklas Oberg/Leo Hibi (UP), 7-6 (7)

Order of finish: (1, 2, 3)

Singles Competition

1. Sema Pankin (UP) def. Sean Hill (BYU), 6-4, 6-4

2. Jack Barnett (BYU) def. Eleftherios Neos (UP), 6-4, 3-6, 6-3

3. Ben Gajardo (BYU) def. Issa Yoshida (UP), 6-3, 6-4

4. Sam Tullis (BYU) def. Nicklas Oberg (UP), 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (4)

5. Mateo Vereau Melendez (BYU) def. Nikolas Tvedt (UP), 7-6 (1), 6-7 (7), 6-2

6. Leo Hibi (UP) def. Matheus Ferreira Leite (BYU), 6-3, 6-4 

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

PROVO, Utah — Coming off a 4-0 sweep of Saint Mary's, BYU men's tennis will play three matches next week, starting with Montana State at home on Monday, March 29, at 9:30 a.m. MDT. The Cougars will then continue West Coast Conference play, traveling to the Pacific Northwest to play Portland on Thursday, April 1, and Gonzaga on Saturday, April 3. Both matches are slated to begin at 11 a.m. PDT.  

BYU Notes (7-5, 2-0 West Coast Conference)

• The Cougars are 7-5, most recently sweeping Saint Mary's, 4-0, on Friday, March 26
• BYU has wins over Grand Canyon, Weber State, Idaho State, Montana, Santa Clara, Air Force, and Saint Mary's. The Cougars' four losses were at Oregon (twice), to New Mexico at home, at Utah State and at UNLV. 
• The Cougars are 7-1 at home, but look for their first win(s) on the road (0-4) this season as they visit Portland and Gonzaga
• BYU is led by senior Sean Hill, who earned his 11th singles win against Saint Mary's. Hill has won eight straight singles matches.
• Senior Ben Gajardo picked up his 10th singles win of the season against Saint Mary's. Gajardo is 10-2 on the year.
• The doubles pair of Jack Barnett and Ben Gajardo is 4-0 this season, including 2-0 in WCC play

Head Coach - Dave Porter

• Alma Mater: BYU, 1975
• Division 1 Coaching Record: 7-5 (1st Season)
• Record at BYU: Same

BYU Doubles Records

• Matheus Ferreira Leite & Mateo Vereau Melendez (1-6)
• Ben Gajardo & Sam Tullis (3-2)
• Jack Barnett & Sean Hill (2-2)
• Jack Barnett & Mateo Vereau Melendez (0-1)
• Ben Gajardo & Matheus Ferreira Leite (1-1)
• Sean Hill & Sam Tullis (5-2)
• Dominik Jakovljevic & Mateo Vereau Melendez (1-0)
• Jack Barnett & Ben Gajardo (4-0)

BYU Singles Records

• Sean Hill (11-1)
• Ben Gajardo (10-2)
• Sam Tullis (7-4)
• Matheus Ferreira Leite (5-2)
• Dominik Jakovljevic (4-5)
• Jack Barnett (4-2)
• Mateo Vereau Melendez (3-7)
• Vinicius Feijao Nogueira (1-0)
• Alex Lin (0-1)

Montana State Notes (3-4, 0-1 Big Sky Conference)

• The Bobcats are 3-8, with their most recent win coming on March 13, a 4-3 victory over Seattle
• Montana State has wins over Idaho State (2) and Seattle. The Bobcats' losses are to Portland State, Portland, Idaho State and Boise State. 
• The Bobcats will face Utah schools in the their next four matches, including a three-match Utah road trip. Montana State will stop in Logan to take on Utah State on Sunday, March 28, at noon MDT, before making their way down to Provo for the Monday morning matchup with BYU at 9:30 a.m. MDT. The Bobcats will then travel back up north to face Weber State in Ogden, and then host Utah at home, in Bozeman.
• Montana State returned five starters from last season's roster and welcomed five newcomers this year
• The last meeting between BYU and Montana was on Jan. 20, 2018, in Provo. The Cougars beat the Bobcats, 6-1. BYU leads the all-time series, 4-0.

Head Coach - Trey Morris

• Alma Mater: Appalachian State (2017)
• Division 1 Record: 8-12 (2nd Season)
• Record at Montana State: Same

Match Information - March 29 vs. Montana State

• Time: 9:30 a.m. MDT
• Live Stats: Stat Broadcast
• Live Stream (if match is held indoors): BYU Tennis Live Cam

Portland Notes (7-2, 1-0 West Coast Conference)

• The Pilots are 7-2, most recently beating San Diego, 5-2, on March 25
• Portland has wins over Portland State, Eastern Washington, Seattle, Cal Poly, Montana State, Montana and San Diego. The Pilots' losses are at Oregon and at Washington. 
• The Pilots face Gonzaga, the Cougars' third opponent next week, on Saturday, March 27
• The last meeting between BYU and Portland on March 23, 2019, in Provo. The Cougars swept the Pilots, 7-0. BYU leads the all-time series, 10-2.

Head Coach - Aaron Gross

• Alma Mater: Nebraska (1992)
• Division 1 Record: 262-221-1 (24th Season)
• Record at Portland: Same

Match Information - April 1 @ Portland

• Time: Noon MDT
• Live Stats
• Live Stream

Gonzaga Notes (11-3, 0-0 West Coast Conference)

• The Bulldogs are 11-3, most recently beating Nebraska at Omaha, 4-3, on March 20.
• Gonzaga has wins over Whitworth, Eastern Washington (2), Utah State, Seattle, Idaho, Portland State, Idaho State, Grand Canyon and Nebraska at Omaha (2). The Pilots' losses are at Boise State, at Washington and against Cal Poly. 
• The Bulldogs face Portland, the Cougars' second opponent next week, on Saturday, March 27. Gonzaga also plays Montana, who BYU swept on March 5, on Sunday, March 29, and San Diego, who the Cougars will host on April 10, prior to the Saturday morning matchup with BYU at 11 a.m. PDT.
• The last meeting between BYU and Gonzaga on March 22, 2019, in Provo. The Bulldogs beat the Cougars, 4-2. BYU leads the all-time series, 7-2.

Head Coach - Jonas Piibor

• Alma Mater: Indiana State (2002)
• Division 1 Record: 69-52 (6th Season)
• Record at Gonzaga: 37-13 (3rd Season)

Match Information - April 3 @ Gonzaga

• Time: Noon MDT
• Live Stats
• Live Stream