Redd Owen secures 4-2 upset over No. 11 UCF to give BYU men’s tennis highest-ranked win in 25 years

BYU’s Redd Owen found himself in a position to do something a BYU team hadn’t done for 25 years.

Up 6-5 in the second set and facing match point, a win for Owen over UCF’s Paul Colin would not only give him his seventh win of the season but also secure BYU’s fourth point of the day and a victory against the Knights.

After facing an early 3-2 deficit against Colin, Owen won four straight games to take the first set 6-3. With a set already won, it was critical for Owen to win the second set to avoid a long, grueling third set and clinch the victory for his team.

However, after a return from Owen on match point hit the net rather than the wide-open space on the court away from Colin, the set was tied 6-6 and headed for a tiebreak.

Though Owen fell behind early after Colin broke his serve, he battled back to tie the score at 3-3 and became the first player to reach match point with a 6-5 lead. However, after an Owen volley — one that likely would have been a game-winner given the open space on the court — hit the net, the score was tied 6-6.

But in the end, as teammate Otto Schreiner was cheering all match, Owen "needed that" and ended up getting the next two points to close out the tiebreaker 8-6 and secure the match.

"Super proud of every player on our team, our coaching and support staff," said BYU coach Zack Warren. "It was a special evening in Provo, one these boys have been working extremely hard for. They'll always keep this with them and we'll look to continue to build on it."

Owen’s win gave BYU a 4-2 score and locked in the victory. While BYU’s Wally Thayne was still competing in his own match with the score at 5-5 in the third set — the only match of the day that went to three sets — it was irrelevant for BYU’s overall win once Owen secured his match.

Plus, Thayne’s match was unpredictable, as he had lost the first set 6-1 but rallied in the second with a dominant 6-2 win. While the Cougars are confident in their players, it was better for Owen to officially get a point.

The victory also secured BYU's its first Big 12 win of the season and its first since joining the conference last year. The Cougars are now 1-2 in conference play after losing to No. 69 Texas Tech and Oklahoma State on the road prior to their home match against UCF. BYU also picked up its first-ranked win of the year after suffering losses to No. 70 Denver and No. 69 Texas Tech earlier in the season.

"That UCF team is one of the best in the nation and currently ranked No. 11 in the country, which shows the success they have had this season," said Warren. "Our fans filled every seat in our outdoor facility and we couldn't have done it without them."

While Owen closed the day for the team, there were plenty of highlights throughout the match.

To start, Thayne and doubles teammate Zach Fuchs, who are currently the No. 44-ranked doubles team in the country, secured a 6-1 win over UCF, giving them a 10-0 record in 2025.

Fuchs and Thayne started strong, winning the first three games of the set to take an early lead. In the final game of the set, with BYU leading 5-2, UCF committed two unforced errors — one of which was a volley into the net — along with a strong return from Thayne, giving BYU a 40-15 lead.

UCF won the next point to make it 30-40 after an overhand spike landed right in front of Thayne’s feet, forcing him to lower his racket to protect himself from the strong bounce. But that would be the last point UCF won against the duo.

Tygen Goldammer and TJ Wells secured BYU’s second doubles win, winning their match 6-3 and helping BYU secure its first point of the day.

Building on his success, Fuchs also defeated No. 69 Mehdi Benchakroun 6-2 6-2. Meanwhile Wally’s effort against UCF’s No. 90 Yassine Dlimi may not have resulted in an official win, but going toe-to-toe with a top-100-ranked player in the nation was a noteworthy performance.

The match also featured a strong showing from Wells, who gave BYU its first singles match win of the day, winning 6-1, 6-4 over UCF’s Emilio Sanchez.

The intensity of facing a high-ranked team like UCF was evident, with emotions running high on both sides.

Early in the match, Owen was heard saying — out of context, mind you — "This guy is so bad" after a ball he called out was ruled in by the line judge. He appeared visibly frustrated by the call for the next couple of points before regaining focus.

That wouldn’t be the last controversy in this match. During the tiebreak, a UCF coach would call for the head referee to come to the court after Colin became visibly upset that a let wasn’t called on a crucial point. He argued that play should have been stopped when his hat fell off mid-point, but the officials still awarded the point to Owen and the match resumed.

Another tense moment involved Fuchs and his opponent. The two exchanged trash talk early in the first set, with Fuchs even making a shushing gesture toward his opponent.

Fuchs was later heard saying, "I didn’t say anything" after making the gesture, which was technically true, but still was sending a clear message.

However, even after the match ended, emotions remained high as UCF left the courts. A UCF player was heard directing a remark toward Fuchs, when he was celebrating with his teammates, saying, "Let’s talk outside," and later told his team, "They have to cheat to win."

Clearly, the high emotions reflected how important this match was for BYU.

But now, the Cougars can proudly claim not only a 3-1 home record but also a win over a ranked opponent and their first Big 12 conference victory.