PROVO, Utah – Freshman Ben Gajardo’s three-set win clinched a 4-3 defeat of Boise State Saturday at the Indoor Tennis Courts.

With the Cougars (7-0) tied 3-3 with the Broncos (1-3), Gajardo won the first set 6-3 against Kyle Butters. Making a comeback, Butters won the second set 6-3. Both players battled back and forth in the third set, but Gajardo clinched the win with a 7-5 third set to take the match and lead the undefeated Cougars to victory.

“First off, the Boise State team and coaches did a great job today and gave us everything they had,” BYU head coach Brad Pearce said. “It was one of the best college matches I’ve ever been a part of. It was decided on both players raising their game. Fortunately, we came out on top this time. Ben was the last one on the court, but we can’t overlook the other players who gave him an opportunity to be in that position as a freshman. He’ll never forget that moment.”

Boise State came out strong and took control early with victories at second and third doubles to claim the doubles point. John Pearce and Gajardo fell to Matteo Tinelli and Ryland McDermott 6-4 in the No. 2 slot, while Matthew Pearce and David Ball dropped their match against Wyatt DeMulling and Stefan Lalovic 6-3.

Duo Sean Hill and Jeffrey Hsu defeated Kyle Butters and Jack Heslin 6-4 in No. 1 doubles, moving forward 6-0 in regular-season play.

BYU brought momentum in singles with three-straight wins over Boise State. Hill quickly earned a victory in the No. 1 singles slot over Jack Heslin 6-3, 7-5. Sam Tullis defeated Stefan Lalovic 6-3, 7-5, and Hsu came out on top 7-5, 7-5 against Matteo Tinelli.

J. Pearce dropped his match in three sets against Wyatt DeMulling 2-6, 7-6, 6-3 in No. 3 singles. M. Pearce fell short 6-3, 7-5 against Ryland McDermott, tying the Cougars and Broncos 3-3.

Gajardo came in with the clinch in his singles match, securing the BYU victory.

The Cougars are off next week and will be prepping to host in-state rival Utah State on Friday, Feb. 16, at 5:30 p.m. MST. BYU opens conference play hosting Portland on Saturday, Feb. 17, at 5:30 p.m. MST. The matches will be played at the Indoor Tennis Courts.

Match Results

BYU 4, BSU 3

Doubles Results

1. HILL, Sean/HSU, Jeffrey (BYU) def. BUTTERS, Kyle/HESLIN, Jack (BSU) 6-4

2. TINELLI, Matteo/MCDERMOTT, Ryland (BSU) def. PEARCE, John/GAJARDO, Ben (BYU) 6-4
3. DEMULLING, Wyatt/LALOVIC, Stefan (BSU) def. PEARCE, Matthew/BALL, David (BYU) 6-3

Order of finish: (3, 1, 2)

Singles Results

1. HILL, Sean (BYU) def. HESLIN, Jack (BSU) 6-3, 7-5
2. HSU, Jeffrey (BYU) def. TINELLI, Matteo (BSU) 7-5, 7-5
3. DEMULLING, Wyatt (BSU) def. PEARCE, John (BYU) 2-6, 7-6, 6-3
4. TULLIS, Sam (BYU) def. LALOVIC, Stefan (BSU) 6-3, 7-6
5. GAJARDO, Ben (BYU) def. BUTTERS, Kyle (BSU) 6-3, 3-6, 7-5
6. MCDERMOTT, Ryland (BSU) def. PEARCE, Matthew (BYU) 6-3, 7-5

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

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PROVO, Utah – BYU men’s tennis will host Mountain Regional opponents Northern Arizona on Friday, Feb. 2, at 5:30 p.m. MST and Boise State on Saturday, Feb. 3, at 1:00 p.m. MST at the Indoor Tennis Courts.

The Cougars (5-0) are coming off a big 4-2 win against San Diego State. No. 89 Sean Hill is undefeated in regular season match play at the No. 1 singles spot. 

Doubles duo Hill and Jeffrey Hsu are 12-1 for the 2017-18 season, and duo Matthew Pearce and David Ball remain undefeated.

Northern Arizona
The Lumberjacks (1-0) are coming off a 4-3 season-opener victory against New Mexico. Doubles duo Ruben Montano and Tim Handel are ranked No. 53 in the nation. Hill and Hsu fell to Montano and Handel in the semifinal round of the ITA Mountain Regional Tournament in October, which is the BYU duo’s only loss of the season. Handel is ranked No. 116 nationally in singles.

The Cougars have defeated the Lumberjacks the last two years.

Boise State
The Broncos (1-2) started off the season with losses against Northwestern and Michigan but are now coming off a win last weekend against Whitman.

Hill defeated Boise State’s Jack Heslin in the first round of regionals in October. Boise State has a well-balanced roster between upper and lower classmen.

Match Information
Admission to the matches will be free to the public. Free pizza and prizes will be provided. Links to live stats and a video stream can be found on the men’s schedule page.

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