DES MOINES, Iowa – Utah State men's tennis (9-4, 0-0 MW) posted a 4-2 neutral court win against UC Santa Barbara (3-4, 0-0 Big West) on Monday afternoon at the Roger Knapp Tennis Center in Des Moines, Iowa.

"Very tough win today against a strong UC Santa Barbara team," said head coach James Wilson. "We came out and played to win from the start. The resolve we showed was awesome, and I'm very proud of this group. To be here since Thursday, suffer a tough loss to Drake, and then to finish with a three and half hour dual match victory was a very strong effort."

USU won the doubles point after wins from freshman Isaac Arevalo Gómez and sophomore Jose Carvajal, 6-4, at the No. 1 spot and a 7-6 win at the No. 3 spot from junior Duro Opacic and sophomore Felipe Acosta.

In singles play, Arevalo Gómez faced No. 25 ranked Joseph Guillin at the No. 1 spot, and had to come back after a first-set loss. Arevalo Gómez battled back and won the final two sets, 6-2, 6-3, marking the first time this season and the first time in his career that Arevalo Gómez defeated a ranked opponent. Carvajal won at the No. 4 spot in straight sets, 7-5, 6-4, and Opacic came back after a first-set loss at the No. 6 spot to win his final two sets, 6-3, 6-4. Junior Sergiu Bucur faced No. 9 ranked Nicolas Moreno de Alboran on court two and won his first, 6-2, but his match went unfinished. 

The Aggies will have an week and a half hiatus before hosting Denver (5-2) in Logan on Friday, March 1, at 2 p.m.

Fans can follow USU's Men's tennis team on Twitter @USUMensTennis, on Facebook at UtahStateMensTennis or on Instagram @USUMensTennis. 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, UC Santa Barbara 2
Doubles
1. Isaac Arevalo Gómez/Jose Carvajal (USU) def. N. Moreno de Alboran/Anders Holm (UCSB) 6-4 
2. Victor Krustev/Joseph Rotheram (UCSB) def. Sergiu Bucur/Rithvik Bollipalli (USU) 6-2 
3. Duro Opacic/Felipe Acosta (USU) def. Joseph Guillin/Wilhelm Saiga (UCSB) 7-6

Singles
1. Isaac Arevalo Gómez (USU) def. #25 Joseph Guillin (UCSB) 1-6, 6-2, 6-3 
2. Sergiu Bucur (USU) vs. #9 Nicolas Moreno de Alboran (UCSB) 6-2, 6-7, 3-4, unfinished 
3. #87 Victor Krustev (UCSB) def. Felipe Acosta (USU) 6-3, 6-1 
4. Jose Carvajal (USU) def. Anders Holm (UCSB) 7-5, 6-4 
5. Joseph Rotheram (UCSB) def. Rithvik Bollipalli (USU) 6-7, 6-3, 6-3 
6. Duro Opacic (USU) def. Hironori Koyanagi (UCSB) 4-6, 6-3, 6-4

Match Notes: 
UC Santa Barbara 3-4
Utah State 9-4

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