BYU tennis falls 4-2 to LMU in semifinal round of WCC tournament

CLAREMONT, Calif. – No. 2 seed BYU men’s tennis fell 4-2 to No. 3 seed Loyola Marymount in the semifinal round of the West Coast Conference tournament Friday morning at the Biszantz Tennis Center.

“We did everything right in our preparation and game planning,” BYU head coach Brad Pearce said. “Earning the doubles point was key to get the start we wanted, but we didn’t get enough traction in singles play. We give credit to LMU—best of luck to them tomorrow. Despite the loss, it was positive to have our lone senior John Pearce end his career with two wins, and to have Sean Hill still on the court battling. We’ve had a good season and are already looking forward to next season with a more experienced team and promising incoming players.”

The Cougars (18-7, 7-2 WCC) ended the regular season coming in second place in the WCC heading into the tournament. With a first-round bye, BYU was ready to play LMU (19-5, 7-2 WCC) in the semifinal round.

In doubles, Sean Hill and Jeffrey Hsu dropped their match 6-4 to Nick Borchenko and Lukas Moenter in the No. 1 slot. The Cougars earned the doubles points with two consecutive wins in the No. 2 and No. 3 lines. Brother duo John and Matthew Pearce defeated Diego Nava and Ethan Prost 6-4. In a close match, Sam Tullis and Ben Gajardo earned a 7-6 win over Charles Boyce and Lucas Moreno.

Moving into singles and up 1-0, J. Pearce earned the Cougars their only singles win right off. He defeated Boyce 6-3, 6-2 in the No. 5 slot. Gajardo fell to Errol Smith 6-3, 6-2 in the No. 4 slot, and Matthew Pearce dropped his match 6-4, 6-4 to Borchenko in No. 6 singles.

Tied 2-all, the Lions took wins in the next two lines to secure their advancement to the finals of the the WCC tournament. Moreno defeated Tullis 6-4, 6-3 in the No. 3 slot and Moenter earned a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Hsu.

BYU concludes its 2017-18 season with an overall record of 18-7, 7-2 and four players who earned All-WCC honors.

BYU 2, Loyola Marymount 4

Doubles Results

1. BORCHENKO, Nick/MOENTER, Lukas (LMU) def. HILL, Sean/HSU, Jeffrey (BYU) 6-4
2. TULLIS, Sam/GAJARDO, Ben (BYU) def. BOYCE, Charles/MORENO, Lucas (LMU) 7-6
3. PEARCE, John/PEARCE, Matthew (BYU) def. NAVA, Diego/PROST, Ethan (LMU) 6-4

Order of finish: (1, 3, 2)

Singles Results

1. HILL, Sean (BYU) vs. DIAZ-FREIRE, Gabriel (LMU) 7-5, 4-3 (DNF)
2. MOENTER, Lukas (LMU) def. HSU, Jeffrey (BYU) 7-5 6-3
3. MORENO, Lucas (LMU) def. TULLIS, Sam (BYU) 6-4, 6-3
4. SMITH, Errol (LMU) def. GAJARDO, Ben (BYU) 6-2, 7-5
5. PEARCE, John (BYU) def. BOYCE, Charles (LMU) 6-3, 6-2
6. BORCHENKO, Nick (LMU) def. PEARCE, Matthew (BYU) 6-4, 6-4

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

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