DES MOINES, Iowa – Utah State men's tennis (8-4, 0-0 MW) posted a 4-1 victory over Indiana (4-6) on Sunday afternoon at the Roger Knapp Tennis Center in Des Moines, Iowa.
"We did a great job from the start until the end of today's match," said head coach James Wilson. "In doubles, we played aggressive and took control. Our mentality was to play the match on our terms and we did a great job of that today. Tomorrow will be a very tough match, so we will need another strong effort."
USU won the doubles point with two 6-4 scores from the duo of junior Sergiu Bucur and freshman Rithvik Bollipalli at the No. 2 spot and sophomore Felipe Acosta and junior Duro Opacic at the No. 3 spot.
In singles play, the Aggies won on courts four, five and six, all in straight sets, to capture the win. Sophomore Jose Carvajal won 6-4, 6-4 at the No. 4 spot, Bollipalli claimed the 6-2, 6-4 win at the No. 5 spot and Opacic cruised to a 6-1, 6-4 win at the No. 6 spot. Bucur and Acosta both won their first sets on their respective courts, but their matches went unfinished.
Utah State will close their stay in Des Moines to face UC Santa Barbara on Monday, Feb. 18, at 10 a.m. (MT).
Fans can follow USU's men's tennis team on Twitter @USUMensTennis, on Facebook at UtahStateMensTennis or on Instagram at USUTennis. Aggie fans can also follow the Utah State athletic program on Twitter at @USUAthletics, on Facebook at Utah State University Athletics or on Instagram at @USUAthletics.
RESULTS
Utah State 4, Indiana 1
Doubles
1. Isaac Arevalo Gómez/Jose Carvajal (USU) vs. Brandon Lam/Carson Haskins (IU) 5-4, unfinished
2. Sergiu Bucur/Rithvik Bollipalli (USU) def. Bennett Crane/Payam Ahmadi (IU) 6-4
3. Felipe Acosta/Duro Opacic (USU) def. Andrew Redding/Zac Brodney (IU) 6-4
Singles
1. Antonio Cembellin (IU) def. Isaac Arevalo Gómez (USU) 6-1, 6-2
2. Sergiu Bucur (USU) vs. #111 Bennett Crane (IU) 6-1, 4-6, 1-0, unfinished
3. Felipe Acosta (USU) vs. Zac Brodney (IU) 7-6, 0-3, unfinished
4. Jose Carvajal (USU) def. Carson Haskins (IU) 6-4, 6-4
5. Rithvik Bollipalli (USU) def. Brandon Lam (IU) 6-2, 6-4
6. Duro Opacic (USU) def. Andrew Redding (IU) 6-1, 6-4
Match Notes:
Indiana 4-6
Utah State 8-4
-USU-
