Cougars Win Both Matches in Doubleheader

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PROVO -- The No. 38 ranked BYU men’s tennis team sent out the message that the Cougars are back and ready for action, going undefeated in their matchups against Weber State and Utah State Friday at the BYU Indoor Tennis Courts.

"The team played really well tonight," BYU head coach Brad Pearce said. "It surprised me a little that they did so well so early in the season after a big break between playing."

The doubleheader started off with the Weber State battle, which BYU won 7-0.

In the No. 1 spot for doubles, Thomas Shubert and Spencer Smith of Salt Lake City took down Wildcats Simon Unger and Peter Ramstromer Pello 8-2, followed rapidly by Georgy Batrakov and Daniel Hwang defeating Landon Barlow of Salt Lake City and David Hintze of Bountiful, Utah, 8-3 to clinch the doubles point.

Ricardo Campos and freshman Tyler Loong of Orem, Utah, finished up doubles play by winning their match against Oliver Good and Ciao Poitena 8-4.

After snatching the doubles point with three wins, the Cougars held strong to sweep in singles.

Smith clinched the first Cougar singles victory of the season, defeating Ramstromer Pello 6-2, 6-1. He was joined in victory by teammates Hwang, Batrakov, Urbina, Freshman Patrick Kawka and Roman Warias.

Urbina fought hard in the No. 1 spot against Unger, going to a tiebreaker in the first set and losing the second before taking the match in the final (7-6, 1-6, 6-4).

In the Utah State match which the Cougars won 6-1, Urbina and Kawka took the first doubles point with victory against Alex Thatcher of Paradise, Utah, and Lenny Whiting (8-2). Batrakov and Hwang took down Fredrik Peterson and Nate Ballam of Logan, Utah, (8-2) and Shubert and Smith defeated Sven Poslusny and Bryan Marchant of Salt Lake City (8-6).

BYU running back Josh Quezada showed football coach Bronco Mendenhall a thing or two about tennis in the intermission, defeating his coach 2-1 in a three-game match.

Quezada teamed up with Pearce’s son,10, also named Josh. Mendenhall’s teammate was BYU mascot Cosmo.

Team Josh quickly took the first game, but Mendenhall and Cosmo came back to win the second. In the final match, the teams were tied, but Team Josh broke ahead for the win.

Fans packed the Indoor Tennis Courts to watch the match.

“I was really pleased with the turnout,” Pearce said. “I hope more and more people keep coming to our home matches this season.”

In singles play, Shubert only allowed opponent Jakob Asplund two games, defeating him 6-1, 6-1 to finish first. Batrakov finished second against Peterson (6-1, 6-1).

Urbina had any easier time in the No. 1 spot against Utah State, going 6-3 in the first set against Poslusny and sweeping the final set 6-0. He was followed by victories from Smith and Kawka.

Hwang lost to Thatcher in a grueling three-set match (7-5, 1-6, 10-4).

Up next for the Cougars, a duel with Pearce's alma mater UCLA, Friday in Los Angeles.

Weber State-0     BYU-7
Doubles
1. Shubert/Smith (BYU) def. Unger/Ramstromer Pello (WSU) 8-2
2. Batrakov/Hwang (BYU) def. Barlow/Hintze (WSU) 8-3
3. Campos/ Loong (BYU) def. Good/Poitena (WSU) 8-4
Order of finsih: 1, 2, 3
Singles
1. E. Urbina (BYU) def. S. Unger (WSU) 7-6 (7), 1-6, 6-4
2. S. Smith (BYU) def. P. Ramstromer Pello (WSU) 6-2, 6-1
3. G. Batrakov (BYU) def. L. Barlow (WSU) 6-0, 6-4
4. D. Hwang (BYU) def. C. Poitena (WSU) 6-2, 6-0
5. P. Kawka (BYU) def. D. Hintze (WSU) 6-0, 6-1
6. R. Warias (BYU) def. O. Good (WSU) 6-3, 6-2
Order of finish: 2, 4, 3, 1, 5, 6
Utah State-1     BYU-6
Doubles
1. Shubert/Smith (BYU) def. Marchant/Poslusny (USU) 8-6
2. Kawka/Urbina (BYU) def. Thatcher/Whiting (USU) 8-2
3. Batrakov/Hwang (BYU) def. Ballam/Peterson (USU) 8-2
Order of finish: 2, 3, 1
Singles
1. E. Urbina (BYU) def. S. Poslusny (USU) 6-3, 6-0
2. T. Shubert (BYU) def. J. Asplund (USU) 6-1, 6-1
3. G. Batrakov (BYU) def. F. Peterson (USU) 6-1, 6-2
4. S. Smith (BYU) def. B. Marchant (USU) 6-4, 6-0
5. A. Thatcher (USU) def. D. Hwang (BYU) 7-5, 1-6, 10-4
6. P. Kawka (BYU) def. L. Whiting (USU) 6-0, 6-2
Order of finish: 2, 3, 1, 4, 6, 5