M. Pearce helps BYU bounce back with 4-2 win over Portland

PROVO, Utah – Matthew Pearce helped BYU bounce back from a tough loss to earn a 4-2 win over Portland Saturday night at the Indoor Tennis Courts to open WCC play for both teams.

“I’m really pleased with the way our guys showed resilience bouncing back from a tough loss yesterday, losing the doubles point tonight and then coming out battling to get the job done in the singles,” BYU head coach Brad Pearce said. “I give a lot of credit to Portland—they came in and fought hard. We hope to get Sean (Hill) back healthy and in the lineup next week against Denver.”

BYU (8-1, 1-0 WCC) duo Sam Tullis and David Ball came out strong in No. 3 doubles with a quick 6-1 win over Andrew Newell and Drew Davison. Portland (5-4, 0-1 WCC) took control of doubles with Jamie Fisher and Carlos Donat defeating John Pearce and Ben Gajardo 6-3. The Pilots clinched the doubles point with a win in No. 1 doubles.

The Cougars were ready and came out fighting in singles to win three consecutive lines. Gajardo defeated Newell 6-3, 6-2 in the No. 4 slot. S. Tullis earned a big victory over Donat, winning the first set 6-3. Both players battled back and forth in the second set, and with many match points, Tullis ultimately won with a 14-12 tiebreak score to secure the match. J. Pearce beat Pierre Garcia 6-2, 2-6, 6-2 in No. 2 doubles to push the Cougars ahead 3-1 and keep the momentum going for BYU.

Hsu fell to Mathieu Garcia in a hard-fought match in No. 1 singles. After dropping a close first set—a 12-10 tiebreaker score, Hsu came back to win the second set 6-4, but he ultimately fell short in the third set 6-2.

Matthew Pearce clinched the 4-2 win for BYU over Portland with a solid 6-3, 6-4 victory against Jamie Fisher in No. 5 singles.

BYU will take on regional opponent University of Denver Saturday, Feb. 24, at 12:00 p.m. MST at the Stapleton Tennis Pavilion in Denver, Colorado. Results will be updated following the match on the men’s schedule page.

Match Results

BYU 4, Portland 2

Doubles Results

1. GARCIA, Pierre/GARCIA, Mathieu (POR) def. HSU, Jeffrey/PEARCE, Matthew (BYU) 6-4
2. FISHER, Jamie/DONAT, Carlos (POR) def. PEARCE, John/GAJARDO, Ben (BYU) 6-3
3. TULLIS, Sam/BALL, David (BYU) def. NEWELL, Andrew/DAVISON, Drew (POR) 6-1

Order of finish: (3, 2, 1)

Singles Results

1. GARCIA, Mathieu (POR) def. HSU, Jeffrey (BYU) 7-6 (12-10), 4-6, 6-2
2. PEARCE, John (BYU) def. GARCIA, Pierre (POR) 6-2, 2-6, 6-2
3. TULLIS, Sam (BYU) def. DONAT, Carlos (POR) 6-3, 7-6 (14-12)
4. GAJARDO, Ben (BYU) def. NEWELL, Andrew (POR) 6-3, 6-2
5. PEARCE, Matthew (BYU) def. FISHER, Jamie (POR) 6-3, 6-4
6. TULLIS, Jacob (BYU) vs. DAVISON, Drew (POR) 5-4 (DNF)

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

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