PORTLAND, Ore. – Junior Patrick Kawka and the No. 39 BYU men’s tennis team remain undefeated in league action with a 5-2 win over Portland on Thursday at the Louisiana-Pacific Tennis Center.

 

With the win, BYU (17-4, 5-0 West Coast Conference) is now tied with Pepperdine for first place in the WCC and improved its overall record to 6-0 against Portland (9-10, 2-4 WCC).

 

“Portland was a good team, we expected that,” said BYU coach Brad Pearce. “It’s a tough first match anytime we’re making the adjustment from altitude to sea level. But the key is getting that first win on the road, which is important to maintain the momentum for the next two matches this week.”

 

The Cougars struck first with a decisive 8-2 victory at the No. 3 doubles position by Keaton Cullimore and John Pearce. The Pilots followed up with a win of their own on court 1 before Andrey Goryachkov and Spencer Smith claimed the doubles point with a close 9-7 win. 

 

“I was pleased that we got the doubles point, that was important in setting the tone for tomorrow,” coach Pearce said. “And in singles, Patrick Kawka played a great match.” 

 

The Cougars took four of the singles matches, led by No. 42 Kawka who cruised past Ratan Gill 6-1, 6-2 for a win at the No. 1 singles position.

 

Sophomore Francis Sargeant earned a point for BYU by grinding out a three-set win over Alex Ferrero on court 3, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4. Cullimore also topped his opponent 6-4, 6-3 at the No. 4 singles position.

 

Goryachkov finished a set on court 5 before injuring his ankle, leading to a default victory for Portland. John Pearce finished the match by defeating Kent Andreasen 6-4, 7-6(3).

 

The Cougars step out of conference play as they travel to Washington to play No. 72 Idaho on Friday at 5 p.m. PDT.

 

Doubles

1. Ferrero/Gill (UP) def. #86 Kawka/Sargeant (BYU) 8-6

2. Goryachkov/Smith (BYU) def. Hu Kwo/Martin (UP) 9-7

3. Cullimore/Pearce (BYU) def. Andreasen/Guay (UP) 8-2

Order of finish: 3, 1, 2

 

Singles

1. #42 Patrick Kawka (BYU) def. Ratan Gill (UP) 6-1, 6-2

2. Michael Hu Kwo (UP) def. Spencer Smith (BYU) 6-3, 6-3

3. Francis Sargeant (BYU) def. Alex Ferrero (UP) 6-4, 3-6, 6-4

4. Keaton Cullimore (BYU) def. Justin Guay  (UP) 6-4, 6-3

5. Jackson Martin (UP) def. Andrey Goryachkov (BYU) 7-6(3) (Ret.)

6. John Pearce (BYU) def. Kent Andreasen (UP) 6-4, 7-6(3)

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

PROVO, Utah – Following a hard-fought 4-3 victory over No. 45 Boise State, the No. 39 BYU men’s tennis team plays Portland on Thursday, No. 72 Idaho on Friday and Gonzaga on Saturday.

 

BYU (16-4, 4-0 West Coast Conference) faces Portland on the road at 10 a.m. PDT, Idaho in Spokane at 5 p.m. PDT and Gonzaga on the road at 10:30 a.m. PDT.

 

For the third time this season, the Cougars are riding a five-match win streak.

 

Junior Patrick Kawka upset No. 29 Andrew Bettles last week but still fell a few spots in the ITA singles rankings this week to No. 42.

 

With a 7-1 record in their last eight matches, Kawka and teammate Francis Sargeant re-entered the national polls in doubles play at the No. 86 spot.

 

Portland (9-9, 2-3 WCC) has yet to win a match against a ranked opponent this season, with its most recent loss coming against No. 10 Pepperdine last week.

 

Idaho (20-4, 4-0 WAC) earned an 11-4 record in the month of March while Gonzaga (7-11, 0-5 WCC) recorded three wins that month, including a 5-2 victory over New Mexico State on March 28.

 

The Cougars will travel to California on April 19 to play Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount in their last two matches of the regular season.