Close Loss in Conference Opener

LAS -- The BYU men's tennis team dropped another close match on Thursday as it lost 4-3 to UNLV. With the loss the Cougars fall to 12-8 on the season and 0-1 in Mountain West Conference play.

All three doubles matches came down to close endings, with the Cougars' only win coming at the No. 1 position when Jonathan Sanchez and A.J. Young posted an 8-6 win over Elliot Wronski and Bryan Miller. Cassidy Mears and Evan Urbina's 8-5 loss tied things up, but the Rebels claimed the point after a win on court two.

In singles play, UNLV's David Campbell secured another point for the Rebels after defeating Daniel Hwang 6-3, 6-1. Young handily defeated Andrew Giuffrida 6-0, 6-4 at the No. 6 position, keeping the Cougars in the match and remaining undefeated on the day.

Playing on court one, the No.69-ranked Wronski pulled out a 6-3, 6-4 win over Sanchez, but Urbina came through with a win of his own against Rony Yeghnazary (7-6, 6-2).

With UNLV up 3-2, the Cougars needed back-to-back wins on the final two courts. After winning his first set 6-4, Mears eventually fell in a tough three-set match to Wesley Burrows, clinching the win for the Rebels.

With the outcome of the match already decided, Thomas Shubert recorded a 6-4, 6-3 win over Luca Barlocchi at the No. 2 position.

The Cougars remain in Las Vegas and continue conference play as they take on TCU at 10 a.m. on Friday.

RESULTS
UNLV def. BYU, 4-3
March 27, 2008 - Las Vegas, Nev.
Doubles
1. Sanchez/Young (BYU) def. Wronski/Bryan Miller (UNLV) 8-6
*2. Barlocchi/Campbell (UNLV) def. Hwang/Shubert (BYU) 9-7
3. Burrows/Matthew Kunkel (UNLV) def. Mears/Urbina (BYU) 8-5
Order of Finish: 3,1,2*
 
Singles
1. #69 Elliot Wronski (UNLV) def. Jonathan Sanchez (BYU) 6-3, 6-4
2. Thomas Shubert (BYU) def. Luca Barlocchi (UNLV) 6-4, 6-3
*3. Wesley Burrows (UNLV) def. Cassidy Mears (BYU) 4-6, 6-3, 6-3
4. David Campbell (UNLV) def. Daniel Hwang (BYU) 6-3, 6-1
5. Evan Urbina (BYU) def. Rony Yeghnazary (UNLV) 7-6, 6-2
6. AJ Young (BYU) def. Andrew Giuffrida (UNLV) 6-0, 6-4
Order of Finish: 4,6,1,5,3*,2
*Clinching match