FRESNO, Calif. – Utah State men's tennis (16-8, 4-1 MW) captured their fourth-straight win against Fresno State (13-10, 3-2 MW) as they beat the Bulldogs, 4-1, on Friday night at the Spalding G. Wathen Tennis Center.
"It was a great team effort tonight," said head coach James Wilson. "We came out with awesome energy on doubles and carried that momentum into singles. Fresno State battled in singles and stayed tough, but we battled it out for the win. It was a great team win and we're excited to compete on Sunday against Nevada."
The Aggies opened the match by taking the doubles point, as sophomore Jose Carvajal and freshman Rithvik Bollipalli earned the 6-1 win at the No. 2 spot, while sophomore Felipe Acosta and freshman Isaac Arevalo Gómez clinched the doubles point at the No. 2 spot with a 6-2 final.
Utah State quickly made it a 2-0 contest as junior Duro Opacic earned the 6-0, 6-1 victory at the No. 6 spot. After the Bulldogs won at the top spot, junior Sergiu Bucur edged out a 6-1, 2-6, 6-2 win at the No. 3 spot, making it 3-1 Aggies. Bollipalli stretched his match out to three sets at No. 5 singles, taking the second set 6-3 after losing the first 6-4. The third and final set went to Bollipalli as he cruised to a 6-1 triumph to clinch his fourth match of the season, and also his fifth-straight win.
Utah State is back in action on Sunday, as they will travel to Reno to take on Nevada at 3 p.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, Fresno State 1
Doubles
1. Jose Carvajal/Rithvik Bollipalli (USU) def. Zdenek Derkas/Patrik Pech (FS) 6-1
2. Felipe Acosta/Isaac Arevalo Gómez (USU) def. Cem Erturk/Jeremy Moser (FS) 6-2
3. Angus Bradshaw/Cagatay Soke (FS) vs. Sergiu Bucur/Duro Opacic (USU) 5-2, unfinished
Singles
1. Zdenek Derkas (FS) def. Isaac Arevalo Gómez (USU) 6-3, 6-4
2. Angus Bradshaw (FS) vs. Jose Carvajal (USU) 6-4, 2-6, 5-4, unfinished
3. Sergiu Bucur (USU) def. Jeremy Moser (FS) 6-1, 2-6, 6-2
4. Cem Erturk (FS) vs. Felipe Acosta (USU) 3-6, 6-3, 3-2, unfinished
5. Rithvik Bollipalli (USU) def. Cagatay Soke (FS) 4-6, 6-3, 6-1
6. Duro Opacic (USU) def. Henrique Osorio (FS) 6-0, 6-1
Match Notes:
Utah State 16-8, 3-2 MW
Fresno State 13-10, 3-2 MW
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2); Singles (6,1,3,5)
-USU-
