Cougars Protect Home Court, Beat Broncos 6-1

PROVO -- BYU's men's tennis team got back on the winning track and improved its home winning streak to 12 games with a 6-1 defeat of Santa Clara Friday night at the BYU Indoor Tennis Courts. The win brings BYU to 3-4 on the season and puts the Broncos at .500 with a 5-5 record.

"This was a great win today," Coach Brad Pearce said. "It's always feels great to get back to winning."

The Cougars seemed determine from the get-go to come out of the match with a win. BYU came out banging, taking advantage of some early Bronco miscues and aggressively clinching the doubles point. James Ludlow and Jose Lechuga led the Cougars, fighting to an 8-5 victory setting up Dominik Kaufhold and Ivan Kokurin to seal the point with an 8-4 win on court No. 3.

Unlike their last few matches, BYU didn't let the intensity from the doubles wins die down against the Broncos. Pearce said the team did a great job staying motivated, especially after first-set wins, and that the emotion was a big factor in the victory.

The emotion on the court could be seen and heard, as all six of BYU's singles players did everything they had to in order to win their matches. The tough play paid off, as BYU won five of the six matches in straight sets. Chip Hand, who sealed the Cougar victory with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Kevin McQuaid, fired up himself and his teammates not only with his strong play, but with his constant excitement on the court. Those small details were what Pearce believed would help BYU come out on top.

"We put in a lot of sweat equity this week and worked hard on controlling the things we can control," Pearce said. "We knew if we could consistently make the shots we should make, and occasionally make the ones we shouldn't make, we'd get a victory."

The Cougars hit all the right shots and look to do the same tomorrow when they face No. 31 Boise State. The match begins at 3 p.m. and will be played at the BYU Indoor Tennis Courts. Admission to the match is free of charge.

RESULTS
Doubles
1.James Ludlow/Jose Lechuga (BYU) def. Jan Macek/Bobby Rasmussen (SC) 8-5
2.Kevin McQuaid/Blane Shields (SC) def.Chip Hand/Jonathan Sanchez (BYU) 8-4
3.Dominik Kaufholf/Ivan Kokurin (BYU) def. Brian Brogan/Aneal Vallurupalli (SC) 8-4
Order of Finish: 2, 1, 3
Singles
1.	Ludlow (BYU) def. Macek (SC) 6-4, 6-4
2.	Kaufhold (BYU) def. Brogan (SC) 6-4, 6-1
3.	Hand (BYU) def. McQuaid (SC) 6-4, 6-2
4.	Kokurin (BYU) def. Hicks (SC) 6-0, 6-3
5.  Rasmussen (SC) def. Lechuga (BYU)  6-4, 4-6, 1-0 (10-8)
6.  Sanchez (BYU) def. Kerin (SC) 6-2, 6-3
Order of Finish: 4, 1, 3, 2, 6, 5