John Pearce returns a shot earlier this season. The Cougars fell to Pepperdine in the WCC tournament semifinals. (Natalie Stoker)
The BYU men's tennis team lost 4-3 to the Pepperdine Tigers in the West Coast Conference tournament semifinal in California on Friday.
Both teams fought for the tie-breaking point to win the meet. BYU's Andrey Goryachkov, despite winning the first set, could not defeat Pepperdine's Pedro Lamachkine, losing 4-3.
The Cougars played well in doubles matches. Jacob Sullivan and John Pearce collected a 6-2 victory and Shane Monroe and Goryachkov won 6-3, giving BYU the lead.
But Pepperdine came back in singles play, winning three straight matches.
Monroe and Keaton Cullimore each picked up singles wins with the Cougars trailing by two points, but Pepperdine sealed with the 4-3 win after another singles victory.
The Cougars now prepare for the NCAA tournament, which begins on May 13. The draws for the tournament will be announced on May 3.