March 11, 2006

DENVER - The Pioneer men's tennis team tallied its third straight win and improved to 8-4 on the season Saturday with a 4-3 win against BYU. The victory concludes a two-match sweep on the weekend after blanking regional rival Air Force Friday.

"This weekend, we played both matches at a different indoor club than we are used to, but the team was able to make the adjustment and I'm pleased with the results," said head coach Geoff Young. "I do not think the match went exactly as we thought it would, but it was nice to see different guys step up and come through for the win."

Unlike the norm, the match began with singles. Senior Steve Flaks (Colorado Springs, Colo.) came through with Denver's first win at No. 4, defeating Chip Hand 7-6(7-3), 6-1. BYU fired back quickly as the Cougars' Jose Luis Lechuga fought off DU's Viktor Zetterholm (Nacka, Sweden) 6-4, 6-2 in the No. 5 position. The momentum continued to swing back and forth as Nejc Smole (Ljubljana, Slovenia) outlasted Ivan Kokurin 7-6(9-7), 6-2, but BYU claimed the victory at No. 2 singles with Dominik Kaufhold beating Niklas Persson (Stockholm, Sweden) 6-4, 7-6(7-4). With both teams at two wins apiece, the doubles point became more vital as the match continued. Adam Holmstrom (Eskilstuna, Sweden) fell 7-6(7-3), 6-1 at No. 1 singles, but rookie Aljosa Nipic (Ljubljana, Slovenia) came through for the Pioneers with a 6-1, 5-7, 6-3 win over Zack Warren.

In doubles, the momentum stayed on Denver's side with Holmstrom and Persson claiming an 8-3 win over Lechuga and Ludlow at the No. 1 spot, followed by Zetterholm and Nipic rallying for an 8-5 win at No. 3 doubles to seal the match.

Next up, the Pioneers head to Florida to face Manhattan March 19.

Denver 4, BYU 3

Singles
James Ludlow (BYU) def. Adam Holmstrom (DU) 7-6(7-3), 6-1
Dominik Kaufhold (BYU) def. Niklas Persson (DU) 6-4, 7-6(7-4)
Nejc Smole (DU) def. Ivan Kokurin (BYU) 7-6(9-7), 6-2
Steve Flaks (DU) def. Chip Hand (BYU) 7-6(7-3), 6-1
Jose Luis Lechuga (BYU) def. Viktor Zetterholm (DU) 6-4, 6-2
Aljosa Nipic (DU) def. Zack Warren (BYU) 6-1, 5-7, 6-3

Order of finish: 4, 5, 3, 2, 1, 6

Doubles
Holmstrom/Persson (DU) def. Lechuga/Ludlow (BYU) 8-3
Kaufhold/Kourkin (BYU) def. Smole/Flaks (DU) 8-6
Zetterholm/Nipic (DU) def. Hand/Marsh (BYU) 8-5

Order of finish: 1, 3, 2

*Singles was played first