SALT LAKE CITY (April 11, 2002) ? The BYU men?s tennis team dominated in-state rival Utah, 7-0, in Salt Lake City Thursday afternoon to remain undefeated in Mountain West Conference play. BYU (12-7, 3-0) has now won five consecutive matches and 11 of its last 13.
?Utah put up a good fight,? BYU assistant coach Brad Pearce said. ?But I think it was good to see our guys each pull out the win.?
BYU won all three doubles matches by the same score, 8-6. The No. 16-ranked team in the nation of Carlos Lozano and Gert Vilms got things started off at the No. 1 position, defeating the No. 40-ranked team of Mercier/Yip. Nic Losee and Erik Nyman teamed up at No. 2 to defeat Poulson/Carlsson, while Jeff Harbach and Jeff Olsen completed the sweep by knocking off Lohff/Scheepers at No. 3.
The Cougars kept the Utes scoreless in singles play, led by Vilms? three-set victory at No. 1, 7-5, 3-6, 7-5. Lozano also took three sets to win at No. 2, while Olsen went the distance at No. 5, but came out on top as well. Losee at No. 3, Nyman at No. 4 and Harbach at No.6 all won their matches in straight sets.
?Fortunately, I think our best tennis is still ahead of us,? Pearce said. ?We?re right on track to be peaking at the right time.?
The Cougars take their five-match winning streak and undefeated conference record into Friday?s match against No. 56 UNLV, to be played in Salt Lake City. The Rebels are led by Thomas Schneiter, who just last week upset the No. 1 player in the nation.
BYU completes its regular season Saturday against No. 32 San Diego State, also in Salt Lake City. Oliver Maiberger and Ryan Redondo, the No. 3 doubles team in the nation, lead the Aztecs. Both matches are scheduled to begin at 10 a.m.
FINAL RESULTSDOUBLES
No. 1 No. 16 Lozano/Vilms (BYU) def. No. 40 Mercier/Yip (UTAH) 8-6
No. 2 Losee/Nyman (BYU) def. Poulson/Carlsson (UTAH) 8-6
No. 3 Harbach/Olsen (BYU) def. Lohff/Scheepers (UTAH) 8-6
BYU WINS DOUBLES POINT
SINGLES
No. 1 Gert Vilms (BYU) def. David Mercier (UTAH) 7-5, 3-6, 7-5
No. 2 Carlos Lozano (BYU) def. Corrie Scheepers (UTAH) 3-6, 6-4, 6-3
No. 3 Nic Losee (BYU) def. Nicholas Yip (UTAH) 7-6, 7-6
No. 4 Erik Nyman (BYU) def. Tyler Poulson (UTAH) 7-6, 6-3
No. 5 Jeff Olsen (BYU) def. Daniel Lohff (UTAH) 6-3, 3-6, 6-4
No. 6 Jeff Harbach (BYU) def. Tobias Tangberg (UTAH) 6-3, 7-5
BYU WINS MATCH 7-0
PROVO, Utah (April 10, 2002) ? The BYU men?s tennis team will finish off its Mountain West Conference season this weekend with three matches in three days. The Cougars (11-7, 2-0) will take on Utah, No. 56 UNLV and No. 32 San Diego State beginning Thursday, with all the matches taking place at the Canyon Racquet Club in Salt Lake City.
The three matches will play a major part in deciding the pairings for the upcoming MWC tournament. While BYU currently has the inside track on the No. 1 seed with an undefeated conference record, several other teams in the MWC have a chance to take over the No. 1 spot.
?There?s no clear-cut favorite right now,? BYU head coach Jim Osborne said. ?Until this weekend is over, nobody really knows what the seedings are going to be for the tournament.?
The Cougars begin their play Thursday at 2 p.m. against in-state rival Utah. The two teams matched up in the fall season at the BYU Invitational, but this time will be different. At the BYU Invitational, it was an individual tournament, while this match will be a key team meeting.
?We know they?re going to be up for us,? Osborne said. ?Our goal is to be pumping on all cylinders.?
Friday, BYU will face No. 56 UNLV at 10 a.m. The MWC season will conclude for the Cougars when they take on No. 32 San Diego State Saturday at 10 a.m.
The San Diego State match will be a rematch of the finals of the National Team Indoor Qualifier, where the Aztecs edged BYU 4-3.
