Cougars Lose to UNM, Prepare for Utah

PROVO -- The BYU men's tennis team fell 4-0 to a tough No. 51 New Mexico team on Friday. With the loss the Cougars fall to 14-10 on the season and 2-3 in Mountain West Conference play, while the Lobos remain undefeated against conference foes this season.

"New Mexico is a strong team from top to bottom," said BYU head coach Brad Pearce. "I thought our guys did a great job. They fought hard and competed to the very end. They can hold their heads up high. I'm proud of them."

After three close doubles matches, UNM came away with the doubles point, sweeping every contest. Both Jonathan Sanchez and A.J. Young, and Cassidy Mears and Evan Urbina dropped close 8-5 matches on courts one and three, respectively.

In singles, Sanchez lost a close first set to No. 41 Max Jones, before falling 6-4, 6-1. Finding himself down 5-2 in both the first and second sets, Thomas Shubert fell short of a comeback, eventually losing 6-4, 6-3 to Johnny Parkes. The Lobos secured the overall victory after a three-set win over Mears on court three.

Tomorrow the Cougars host in-state rival Utah at 1:30 p.m. MT at the outdoor tennis courts. The match marks the first meeting between Utah and BYU since the inception of the Deseret First Duel, a rivalry series created between the two schools. BYU currently leads the series 28 to 23.5.

Over 60 former BYU tennis players are Provo for an alumni gathering, and as part of the celebration, fans can enjoy free burgers, chips and drinks provided by Legend's Grill. Cosmo will also be on hand supporting the Cougar team.

During the match, fans can also participate in a prize drawing, with prizes including an autographed Pete Sampras jersey, autographed posters and photos of Anna Kournikova and an autographed pair of Nike shoes from Mark Knowles, the No. 1 doubles player in the world.

Admission is free and BYU "Y Lot" parking is available to all visitors on Saturdays.

RESULTS
No. 51 New Mexico def. BYU, 4-0
April 11, 2008 - Provo, Utah
Doubles
1.  Jones/Pajkowski (UNM) def. Sanchez/A. Young (BYU) 8-5
2.  Parkes/Parkes (UNM) def. Hwang/Shubert (BYU) 8-4
3.  Kassautzki/Wood (UNM) def. Mears/Urbina (BYU) 8-5
Order of finish: 2, 3, 1
Singles
1.  M. Jones (UNM) def. J. Sanchez (BYU) 6-4, 6-1
2.  J. Parkes (UNM) def. T. Shubert (BYU) 6-4, 6-3
3.  G. Kassautzki (UNM) def. C. Mears (BYU) 6-7, 6-4, 6-2
4.  E. Urbina (BYU) vs. M. Bubgy (UNM) DNF 6-4, 6-7
5.  D. Hwang (BYU) vs. K. Pajowski (UNM) DNF 6-3
6.  A. Young (BYU) vs. C. Parkes (UNM) DNF 1-6, 1-2
Order of finish: 1, 2, 3