Sun Devils Squeak Past Cougars 5-2

PHOENIX -- The No. 75 BYU men's tennis team fell 5-2 on Monday to a tough No. 26-ranked Arizona State Sun Devil team at the Whiteman Tennis Center in Phoenix. With the loss the Cougars fall to 2-11 on the season.

Gaining an early edge on the Sun Devils, the Cougars won at the No. 1 and 2 doubles spots to claim the doubles point. Erik Nyman and Nima Roshan defeated Andy Colombo and Jonathan Kinsella 8-5 while temmates Richard Dasek and Dominik Kaufhold pushed past Chris Stewart and Daniel Davies of Arizona State in an 8-5 decision.

Winning at the No. 1 singles position, BYU's Nyman had a big win over Colombo in two straight sets 6-4, 6-4. Nyman had the only singles win for the Cougars. Nima Roshan nearly defeated Christopher Biro of ASU in the third set.

Posting one of the toughest schedules in the NCAA, the BYU men's tennis team is building momentum for conference action with the goal in mind of being at the top of the Mountain West. Conference play begins on April 2 for the Cougars. The Cougars will face the No. 7 Stanford Cardinal Tuesday March 23 at 11 a.m.

"Mid-way through the match, I felt like we were going to win," head coach Brad Pearce said. "We played so well, we couldn't close the door."

ASU vs. BYU Men's Tennis
Doubles
1) Nyman-Roshan (BYU) d. Colombo-Kinsella (ASU)       8-5
2) Dasek-Kaufhold (BYU) d. Stewart-Davies (ASU)       8-5
3) Letcher-McBride (ASU) d. Hand-Medina (BYU)         8-6
Singles
1) Erik Nyman (BYU) d. Andy Colombo (ASU)             6-4, 6-4
2) Chris Stewart (ASU) d. Richard Dasek (BYU)         6-1, 6-1
3) Clint Letcher (ASU) d. Christian Hand (BYU)        7-6 (4), 6-0
4) Jonathan Kinsella (ASU) d. Ivan Kokurin (BYU)      7-5, 6-3
5) Christopher Biro (ASU) d. Nima Roshan (BYU)        4-6, 6-1, 6-3
6) Ryan McBride (ASU) d. Alonso Medina (BYU)          6-4, 6-4