Momentum continues as Cougars defeat Montana State, Weber State

PROVO, Utah – Momentum continues for BYU men’s tennis with consecutive 6-1 victories over Montana State and Weber State in a home-opening doubleheader Saturday at the BYU Indoor Tennis Courts.

“I’m proud of our guys because of how they fought and competed today in the doubleheader,” BYU head coach Brad Pearce said. “There was solid, competitive play."

"I like how this team is preparing for every match. They are hungry, and that is what we want to encourage and foster in our program—being hungry. They want success and are willing to pay the price to get there. I give credit to Montana State and Weber State because we had to play well to win.”

Senior John Pearce, junior Matthew Pearce and sophomore Sam Tullis led BYU (4-0, 0-0 WCC) in solid wins in singles and doubles against Montana State (2-0, 0-0 Big Sky) and Weber State (1-2, 1-0 Big Sky).

Montana State Bobcats

In the first match of the day, BYU logged early victories in first and second doubles. J. Pearce and S. Tullis defeated Montana State’s Rok Sitar and Alexander Flink 6-4, while M. Pearce and David Ball teamed up for a 6-4 win over Adrian Torrico and Kasper Parlklo.

The Cougars continued to dominate the Bobcats on the court with five-straight singles victories, dropping only the finals singles match. Sean Hill struck first for BYU in the No. 1 singles slot, topping Flink 6-2, 6-2. M. Pearce, S. Tullis, J. Pearce and Ben Gajardo logged two-set victories to secure the 6-1 win over Montana State.

Weber State Wildcats

BYU came off a strong win with energy and confidence, which showed in doubles against Weber State. J. Pearce and Gajardo topped Wildcats’ Hou-En Chen and Cezary Walkusz 6-3 in the No. 2 slot. In third doubles, duo M. Pearce and Ball logged their second victory together of the day over Bo-Han Li and Nick Werner 6-3.

In singles, J. Pearce, S. Tullis and Hill started the Cougars off with forceful wins over the Wildcats. In the No. 2 slot, Jeffrey Hsu fought hard, but ultimately dropped his match against Kris Van Wyk 6-4, 0-6, 6-3. M. Pearce and Gajardo battled until the end to pull out competitive wins and solidified a 6-1 BYU win over Weber State.  

The Cougars hit the road against San Diego State on Saturday, Jan. 27, at 3 p.m. PST at the Aztec Tennis Center in San Diego, California. Results will be updated on the schedule page.

Match Results

BYU 6, Montana State 1

Doubles Results

1. PEARCE, John/TULLIS, Sam (BYU) def. SITAR, Rok/FLINK, Alexander (MSU) 6-4
2. PEARCE, Matthew/BALL, David (BYU) def. TORRICO, Adrian/PARLKLO, Kasper (MSU) 6-4
3. SMITH, Creel/WOOD, Grant (MSU) vs. GAJARDO, Ben/TULLIS, Jacob (BYU) 6-5 (DNF)

Order of finish (1, 2)

Singles Results

1. HILL, Sean (BYU) def. FLINK, Alexander (MSU) 6-2, 6-2
2. PEARCE, John (BYU) def. SITAR, Rok (MSU) 7-5, 6-4
3. TULLIS, Sam (BYU) def. PARLKLO, Kasper (MSU) 7-5, 6-4
4. PEARCE, Matthew (BYU) def. ESPINOZA, Joaquin (MSU) 6-1, 6-2
5. GAJARDO, Ben (BYU) def. WOOD, Grant (MSU) 6-2, 6-2
6. SMITH, Creel (MSU) def. BALL, David (BYU) 6-4, 0-6, 10-7

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

BYU 6, Weber State 1

Doubles Results

1. HILL, Sean/HSU, Jeffrey (BYU) vs. COOPER, Stefan/VAN WYK, Kris (WSU) 4-4 (DNF)
2. PEARCE, John/GAJARDO, Ben (BYU) def. CHEN, Hou-En/WALKUSZ, Cezary (WSU) 6-3
3. PEARCE, Matthew/BALL, David (BYU) def. LI, Bo-Han/WERNER, Nick (WSU) 6-3

Order of finish (2, 3)

Singles Results

1. HILL, Sean (BYU) def. COOPER, Stefan (WSU) 7-6, 6-4
2. VAN WYK, Kris (WSU) def. HSU, Jeffrey (BYU) def. 6-4, 0-6, 6-3
3. PEARCE, John (BYU) def. WERNER, Nick (WSU) 6-1, 7-6
4. TULLIS, Sam (BYU) def. CHEN, Hou-En (WSU) 6-4, 6-3
5. PEARCE, Matthew (BYU) def. VAN SCHOOR, Michiel (WSU) 1-6, 6-4, 10-6
6. GAJARDO, Ben (BYU) def. WALKUSZ, Cezary (WSU) 7-6, 6-3

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