One MWC Win for Netters

COLORADO SPRINGS -- Conference play started with a victory for the No. 32 BYU men’s tennis team Thursday. The Cougars breezed past Air Force 6-1 to improve to 16-4 on the season and 1-0 in the conference.

BYU swept pairs play, winning on all three courts to earn the first point of the match. Thomas Shubert and Cassidy Mears tallied an 8-4 result on court one while Evan Urbina and Daniel Hwang won by the same scoreline at the No. 3 position. Georgy Batrakov and Spencer Smith recorded an 8-6 decision in the remaining match.

In singles competition, the Cougars dominated with straight-set victories on courts two through six. Air Force’s lone point came from a Lance Wilhelm win at the No. 1 spot. Wilhelm split sets with BYU’s Evan Urbina, taking the first but dropping the second. Urbina eventually fell in the third-set tiebreak to finish the contest at 6-1.

Next, BYU will travel to Albuquerque to take on New Mexico Saturday. The match begins at 1 p.m. at the Lobo Tennis Club.

Results
No. 32 BYU-6
Air Force-1
Doubles
1. Shubert / Mears (BYU) def. Rodgers / Soster (AF) 8-4
2. Batrakov / Smith (BYU) def. Francis / Wilhelm (AF) 8-6
3. Urbina / Hwang (BYU) def. Beaussart / Sam Barnes(AF) 8-4
Singles
1. Lance Wilhelm (AF) def. Evan Urbina (BYU) 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (2)
2. Thomas Shubert (BYU) def. Austin Francis (AF) 6-0, 6-3
3. Georgy Batrakov (BYU) def. Taylor Soster (AF) 6-4, 6-2
4. Cassidy Mears (BYU) def. Brett Rodgers (AF) 6-2, 6-3
5. Spencer Smith (BYU) def. Vinni Lodolo (AF) 6-3, 6-2
6. Daniel Hwang (BYU) def. Alex Beaussart (AF) 6-4, 6-2