PROVO -- In their last regular season match of the season, the No. 71 BYU men's tennis team beat in-state rival Utah State 5-2 Wednesday to improve its record to 12-13 heading into the conference tournament.

"Important to get another win under our belts going into the tournament to boost our confidence," BYU head coach Brad Pearce said. "It was important to have some competitive match during this week and it was great to give more people an opportunity to play."

Senior James Ludlow, ranked No. 119 in the ITA national polls, finished the regular season with a record of 12-11 with his win at no. 1 singles and Dominik Kaufhold evened his singles record at 11-11 with his win.

The Cougars enter the MWC Tournament as the No. 5 seed and will play New Mexico on April 26 at the Air Force Academy. The winner of that match will play the No. 1 seed, San Diego State, the following day. BYU is 0-2 against UNM this season.

Match Results

No. 71 BYU vs. Utah State

April 18, 2007

Doubles:

1. Ludlow/Kaufhold (BYU) def. Tyden/Ericsson (USU) 8-4

2. Chip Hand/Jonathan Sanchez (BYU) def. Schenk/Young (USU) 8-1

3. Mears/Planck (BYU) def. Banks/Nate Ballam (USU) 8-3

Order of finish

2, 3*, 1

*clinches doubles point

Singles:

1. No. 119 James Ludlow (BYU) def. Oscar Ericsson (USU) 6-2, 6-2

2. Dominik Kaufhold(BYU) def. Hannes Schenk (USU) 6-1, 6-2

3. Cassidy Mears (BYU) def. Jonas Tyden 6-2, 7-5

4. Cale Planck (BYU) def. Fernando Gallegos (USU) 6-4, 6-4

5. Mike Banks (USU) def. Albert Nersessyan (BYU) 6-3, 4-6, 10-2

6. Dantley Young (USU) def. Jason Johnson (BYU) 6-2, 6-2

Order of finish:

2, 1, 3*, 4, 5, 6

*clinches team win

BYU wins 5-2

PROVO -- Only one match remains for the No. 71 BYU men's tennis team in the regular season and that match will be against Utah State Wednesday at 3:00 p.m. in Provo.

"We wanted to have a match this week to get some competition heading into the Mountain West Conference Tournament," BYU head coach Brad Pearce said. "We have a strong conference and we want to be totally prepared when we arrive at the Air Force Academy."

BYU's record this season is 11-13 and the team finished conference play with a record of 2-4. USU is 7-7 on the season. The Cougars swept the Aggies last season, 7-0, in Provo.

The Cougars enter the MWC Tournament as the No. 5 seed and will play New Mexico on April 26 at the Air Force Academy. The winner of that match will play the No. 1 seed, San Diego State, the following day. BYU is 0-2 against UNM this season.

Admission to Wednesday's match is free. Free pizza, donuts and prizes will also be awarded to those in attendance.