PROVO, Utah -- Behind clutch play in doubles and an all-around team effort, BYU men’s tennis dominated Idaho, sweeping the match 7-0 on Saturday.

 

The Cougars (6-7) stole the show in doubles, riding that momentum to set up the sweep over the Vandals (5-8).

 

“We paid the price this week in practice,” BYU head coach Brad Pearce said. “Hopefully the guys should be able to see the relationship between hard, dedicated, intense work and success.”

 

With new doubles combinations, BYU came out strong, narrowly edging Idaho in two of the three matches.

 

In first doubles, sophomore Andrey Goryachkov and freshman Robin Pfister lost a nailbiter in tiebreakers to Jose Bendeck and Cristobal Ramos, 8-7 (7-2). 

 

Freshmen Jeremy Bourgeois and Sterling Galli answered with a close win of their own at third doubles over Matt Oddonetto and Cesar Torres, 8-6, which then put the focus on the match at second doubles.

 

Junior Francis Sargeant and freshman Matthew Pearce clinched the doubles point in a comeback win, topping Odon Barta and Artemiy Nikitin 8-7 (7-4).

 

“Sterling and Jeremy getting the win put it on Francis and Matthew and I thought they closed that out brilliantly in the tiebreaker,” coach Pearce said. “It was truly playing to win, rather than not to lose.”

 

The Cougars cruised in singles action, winning five of the six matches in straight sets.

 

The captain and 114th-ranked player Sargeant led out by dominating his opponent 6-2, 6-2, for his 11th win in 2014. Goryachkov also claimed a victory, ousting Artemiy Nikitin 6-4, 6-3.

 

All four freshmen came away victorious in singles as well. Bourgeois defeated Cristobal Ramos in two sets, 6-3, 6-4, and Jacob Sullivan overpowered Sam Laudon 6-1, 6-2. 

 

Pfister upended Odon Barta’s comeback bid by taking the win in the third set, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. Matthew Pearce ended the night for the Cougars by handily defeating Torres, 6-2, 6-4, to complete the match sweep.

 

BYU travels down to Albuquerque, N.M., for matches against New Mexico and No. 39 Texas Tech Friday at 1 p.m. MST and Saturday at 11 a.m., respectively.

 

Brigham Young 7, Idaho 0

Singles competition

1. SARGEANT, Francis (BYU) def. Bendeck, Jose (IDAHO) 6-2, 6-2

2. GORYACHKOV, Andrey (BYU) def. Nikitin, Artemiy (IDAHO) 6-4, 6-3

3. BOURGEOIS, Jeremy (BYU) def. Ramos, Cristobal (IDAHO) 6-3, 6-4

4. PFISTER, Robin (BYU) def. Barta, Odon (IDAHO) 6-4, 3-6, 6-3

5. PEARCE, Matthew (BYU) def. Torres, Cesar (IDAHO) 6-2, 6-4

6. SULLIVAN, Jacob (BYU) def. Laudon, Sam (IDAHO) 6-1, 6-2

Doubles competition

1. Bendeck, Jose/Ramos, Cristobal (IDAHO) def. GORYACHKOV, Andrey/PFISTER, Robin (BYU) 8-7 (7-2)

2. PEARCE, Matthew/SARGEANT, Francis (BYU) def. Barta, Odon/Nikitin, Artemiy (IDAHO) 8-7 (7-4)

3. GALLI, Sterling/BOURGEOIS, Jeremy (BYU) def. Torres, Cesar/Oddonetto, Matt (IDAHO) 8-6

 

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

PROVO, Utah -- The BYU men’s tennis team returns home for a regional showdown with Idaho Saturday at 5:30 p.m. MST.

 

With a 2-1 record at home, the Cougars (5-7) look to swing momentum their way as they take on the Vandals (5-6).

 

“We’ve been working hard in preparation for the match on Saturday,” BYU head coach Brad Pearce said. “We’ll be hungry for a win.”

 

With a roster including eight freshmen, junior captain Francis Sargeant stands out, leading the team through 2014. The 114th nationally-ranked player beat No. 87 Slim Hamza last week in the annual rivalry match against Utah, extending his dual match record to 10-1 on the season. 

 

Freshman Jeremy Bourgeois also came away with a win, edging out Cedric Willems 7-6 (7-5), 6-4. 

 

Live statistics will be available for the match on the BYU athletics website.

 

The Cougars will be on the road next week as they face New Mexico and No. 55 Texas Tech, March 7 and March 8, respectively.