Eugene, Ore. (February 2, 2002) -- One day after almost knocking off Oregon on its home court, the No. 58 BYU men's tennis team lost a tough match to No. 21 Washington. In a competition full of three-set matches and well-played tennis, BYU came up short, losing 5-2.
"It was just a real great college tennis battle," BYU head coach Jim Osborne said. "This is the way college tennis should be played."
The outcome of the match might have hinged on the doubles point. The No. 10 team of Carlos Lozano and Gert Vilms dominated again at the No. 1 position, winning 8-4. But at the No. 2 and No. 3 spots, the Cougars had their chances but couldn't pull off the wins. Jeff Harbach and Jeff Olsen lost 8-6 at No. 2 and Nic Losee and Erik Nyman lost 9-7 at No. 3.
"I think if we could have won the doubles point, the momentum would have swung our way," Osborne said. "The doubles point came back to haunt us a bit."
Nyman's singles play continues to impress, as he won a great match at No. 3 over Christoph Palmanshofer, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. Nyman has won all four singles matches he has played in this season. Unfortunately, the Cougars lost three other three-set matches in singles play. BYU's other win in singles came at the No. 2 spot, with Lozano defeating Matt Hanlin in straight sets, 6-3, 7-6.
Despite the loss, Osborne is still happy with the team's progression up to this point. Losing the match did not bother Osborne that much, as the Cougars played fantastic tennis.
"I'm impressed with how well we're playing this early in the season," Osborne said.
The Cougars will take a week off before heading to the road again. BYU will go to California and play three matches in as many days against Fresno State, Southern Cal and UC-Irvine.
FINAL RESULTS
DOUBLES
No. 1 Lozano/Vilms (BYU) def. Palmanshofer/Vlaski (UW) 8-4
No. 2 Hanlin/Ruby (UW) def. Harbach/Olsen (BYU) 8-6
No. 3 Scharler/Strasberg (UW) def. Losee/Nyman (BYU) 9-7
SINGLES
No. 1 Alex Vlaski (UW) def. Gert Vilms (BYU) 4-6, 6-3, 7-5
No. 2 Carlos Lozano (BYU) def. Matt Hanlin (UW) 6-3, 7-6
No. 3 Erik Nyman (BYU) def. Christoph Palmanshofer (UW) 6-4, 3-6, 6-3
No. 4 Peter Scharler (UW) def. Nic Losee (BYU) 6-2, 3-6, 7-5
No. 5 Dillon Ruby (UW) def. Anton Rudjuk (BYU) 6-4, 7-6
No. 6 Nick Weiss (UW) def. Jeff Harbach (BYU) 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (1)
PROVO -- The No. 58 BYU men's tennis team heads north again, one week after barely failing to qualify for the National Team Indoor Championships. The Cougars will play two matches in Eugene, Ore., Friday against Oregon and Saturday against No. 21 Washington.
"We have definitely got our work cut out for us," BYU head coach Jim Osborne said. "Both teams we face this weekend are undefeated so far."
The Cougars will look for strong performances again from their doubles teams. In Boise last week, Carlos Lozano and Gert Vilms, No. 10 in the nation, dominated the nation's second-ranked team of Oliver Maiberger and Ryan Redondo, 8-3. Also against San Diego State, Jeff Harbach/Jeff Olsen won at No. 2 and Nic Losee/Erik Nyman took the match at the No. 3 spot.
"I'm very pleased with how well we are playing in doubles at this point," Osborne said. "We're not playing as well as we can in singles yet, but we're improving everyday."
After winning both of his singles matches in Boise, Erik Nyman will most likely move up and take over the No. 3 position. Nic Losee will move down to No. 4, with the other positions staying the same. The Washington match will be the toughest of the weekend, but Osborne and the Cougars want to make sure they don't overlook Oregon on its homecourt.
"We've got to make sure we can take care of business," Osborne said.
The Cougars will have the next week off, but will go to California Feb. 18 and 19 to take on Fresno State and Southern Cal.
