The BYU men’s team dominated Gonzaga and Portland over the weekend in back-to-back home matches.
On Friday, snow drove the Cougars and Bulldogs indoors, where No. 45 BYU topped Gonzaga 6-1.
The Cougars powered through doubles, sweeping all three matches. The Cougars held the Bulldogs to just three games each, taking the matches 8-3.
The Cougars’ momentum continued in singles. Spencer Smith, Patrick Kawka, Keaton Cullimore and Francis Sargeant all defeated their opponents in straight sets. Senior Michael Eraso, after dropping the first set, came back to win 5-7, 7-5, 10-8.
Gonzaga’s lone point came from Alvaro Nazal, who topped senior Georgy Batrakov. Nazal dropped the first set but Batrakov, playing through illness, fell in the last sets to lose 2-6, 6-2, 10-6.
Saturday, under better weather conditions, BYU and Portland faced off outside.
The Cougars came away with a 6-1 win, putting them at 13-7 on the season and 3-2 in the conference.
Eraso said the team loves playing at home and these wins add to the team’s momentum.
“We’re super confident, mainly because we’re working really hard,” Eraso said.
BYU took the early lead, with each Cougar duo winning its doubles matches again.
Portland was never able to recover. Smith, playing in the number one position due to Batrakov’s singles absence, was off the courts first with a 6-4, 6-1 win. Kawka put up another Cougar point, also winning 6-4, 6-1. Immediately after, Cullimore won 6-2, 6-3 to secure BYU the match win. Eraso then won in straight sets and Sargeant won in the third set topping Michael Hu Kwo.
The last match of the day went to Portland as Daniel Coelho pulled a 2-6, 6-4, 13-11 win over Travis Fillmore.
“It was great getting outdoors,” BYU coach Brad Pearce said. “The sun was out; it’s a beautiful day and it was really nice to get out and get a feel for our own courts. And it was great to get two more conference wins underneath our belts and we’ll have a little momentum going [into LMU and Pepperdine].”
The BYU women’s tennis team topped Gonzaga 6-1 and Portland 5-2 in back-to-back away matches over the weekend.
On Friday, the Cougars took the doubles point over Gonzaga; Megan Price and Meghan Sheehan-Dizon recorded an 8-3 win and duo Morgan Anderson and Desiree Tran put up an 8-5 win over Kylie Peek and Sophie Lantta. Gonzaga’s Madeline Parker and Prue Teitzel staved off a Cougar doubles sweep by defeating Aubrey Paul and Lisa Waldron.
In singles, Morgan Anderson started the Cougars off with a 6-1, 1-6, 6-0 victory, and they never looked back. Tran and Sheehan-Dizon both walked away with wins in straight sets. Sheehan-Dizon extended her match win streak to seven and secured the match for BYU.
Senior Megan Price was pushed to three sets (6-1, 3-6, 6-3), but won decisively in the third set, and Paul allowed her opponent only three games and gave the Cougars their last point, winning in straight sets, 6-2, 6-1.
Gonzaga’s single victory came on court six as Britta Stime topped Andie Young 6-2, 6-1.
Taking to the courts in Portland, the Cougars came out strong, taking the doubles point again.
Duos Price and Sheehan-Dizon, and Paul and Waldron, secured BYU the doubles point, winning 8-3 and 8-4, respectively.
Portland tied the match in the first singles match as Valeska Hoath topped Sheehan-Dizon 4-6, 6-1, 6-4. Anderson retied the match, winning on court two 7-5, 6-4 and Tran put the Cougars back in the lead defeating Anastasia Polyakova 7-6, 6-2.
Paul took her match in straight sets, defeating Emily Mahairas 6-3, 6-4. Paul’s victory secured the Cougars fourth match point giving BYU the win over Portland.
Price finished up the Cougars wins, taking her match over Alice Tucker 6-3, 6-4. And Portland took the last match over BYU’s Young 6-2, 7-6.
The Cougars will finish their season April 20 and 21 on the road, taking on Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine in California.
