LAS -- The BYU men's tennis team dropped another close match on Thursday as it lost 4-3 to UNLV. With the loss the Cougars fall to 12-8 on the season and 0-1 in Mountain West Conference play.

All three doubles matches came down to close endings, with the Cougars' only win coming at the No. 1 position when Jonathan Sanchez and A.J. Young posted an 8-6 win over Elliot Wronski and Bryan Miller. Cassidy Mears and Evan Urbina's 8-5 loss tied things up, but the Rebels claimed the point after a win on court two.

In singles play, UNLV's David Campbell secured another point for the Rebels after defeating Daniel Hwang 6-3, 6-1. Young handily defeated Andrew Giuffrida 6-0, 6-4 at the No. 6 position, keeping the Cougars in the match and remaining undefeated on the day.

Playing on court one, the No.69-ranked Wronski pulled out a 6-3, 6-4 win over Sanchez, but Urbina came through with a win of his own against Rony Yeghnazary (7-6, 6-2).

With UNLV up 3-2, the Cougars needed back-to-back wins on the final two courts. After winning his first set 6-4, Mears eventually fell in a tough three-set match to Wesley Burrows, clinching the win for the Rebels.

With the outcome of the match already decided, Thomas Shubert recorded a 6-4, 6-3 win over Luca Barlocchi at the No. 2 position.

The Cougars remain in Las Vegas and continue conference play as they take on TCU at 10 a.m. on Friday.

RESULTS
UNLV def. BYU, 4-3
March 27, 2008 - Las Vegas, Nev.
Doubles
1. Sanchez/Young (BYU) def. Wronski/Bryan Miller (UNLV) 8-6
*2. Barlocchi/Campbell (UNLV) def. Hwang/Shubert (BYU) 9-7
3. Burrows/Matthew Kunkel (UNLV) def. Mears/Urbina (BYU) 8-5
Order of Finish: 3,1,2*
 
Singles
1. #69 Elliot Wronski (UNLV) def. Jonathan Sanchez (BYU) 6-3, 6-4
2. Thomas Shubert (BYU) def. Luca Barlocchi (UNLV) 6-4, 6-3
*3. Wesley Burrows (UNLV) def. Cassidy Mears (BYU) 4-6, 6-3, 6-3
4. David Campbell (UNLV) def. Daniel Hwang (BYU) 6-3, 6-1
5. Evan Urbina (BYU) def. Rony Yeghnazary (UNLV) 7-6, 6-2
6. AJ Young (BYU) def. Andrew Giuffrida (UNLV) 6-0, 6-4
Order of Finish: 4,6,1,5,3*,2
*Clinching match

PROVO -- The BYU men's tennis team heads to Las Vegas this weekend to open Mountain West Conference play against UNLV, No. 31 TCU and Air Force. After suffering a 4-3 home loss to UC Irvine on Tuesday, the Cougars hope to improve on their 12-7 record.

The Rebels of UNLV are coming off a 7-0 loss to No. 40 California last week, falling to 6-8 on the year. BYU dropped both of its matches against the Rebels last season, once in the regular season and once at the conference tournament.

TCU is currently 13-5 overall this season and is led by senior Cosmin Cotet, who is ranked No. 29 in singles play. Cotet is also nationally ranked at No. 45 with doubles partner Kriegler Brink. The Horned Frogs remains unbeaten against BYU, holding a 6-0 advantage in the series record.

The Air Force Academy enters the weekend with a 10-8 overall record, after winning its final home match of the season against University of Missouri-Kansas City.

The Cougars are scheduled to play UNLV at 2 p.m. PT on Thursday. BYU will then face TCU and Air Force at 10 a.m. PT on Friday and Saturday, respectively. All matches will be played at the Fertitta Tennis Complex.