LOGAN, Utah – Utah State men's tennis (15-7, 3-0 MW) won their third-straight conference match with a 4-1 victory over Air Force (9-9, 0-3 MW) on Friday afternoon at the Outdoor Tennis Courts.
"It was a good win for us and we came out and did a really good job of bouncing back after we lost the doubles point," said head coach James Wilson. "I was really proud of the way the guys competed in singles. I felt like we were fighting hard and did a really good job on all six courts."
In doubles play, freshman Rithvik Bollipalli and sophomore Jose Carvajal teamed up for the first time in the dual match season and recorded a 6-2 win at the top spot. However, the Falcons won on the remaining two courts to earn the doubles point.
Utah State bounced back in singles play right off the bat as junior Duro Opacic tied up the score at 1-1 with a 6-3, 6-0 straight-set win at the No. 6 spot. Bollipalli made it a 2-1 contest as he notched a 6-3, 6-3 win at the No. 5 spot. Freshman Isaac Arevalo Gómez also won in straight-sets with a 7-5, 6-0 victory at the No. 1 spot, making it 3-1 Aggies. Sophomore Felipe Acosta clinched his fifth match of the season and won his eighth-straight match with a 6-4, 6-3 triumph at the No. 3 spot.
"I'm really happy about the win and it was great that we bounced back," said Acosta. Isaac (Arevalo Gómez), Jose (Carvajal) played a great match, and Rithvik and Duro did a great job getting the wins for us."
The Aggies will close out the home portion of their schedule with a match against New Mexico on Sunday, April 7, at 1 p.m.
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, Air Force 1
Doubles
1. Rithvik Bollipalli/Jose Carvajal (USU) def. Tadhg Collins/Patrick Sklenka (AF) 6-2
2. Jamie Bautista/Paul Hendrix (AF) def. Felipe Acosta/Isaac Arevalo Gómez (USU) 7-5
3. Mack Galvin/Isaac Perez (AF) def. Sergiu Bucur/Duro Opacic (USU) 6-2
Singles
1. Isaac Arevalo Gómez (USU) def. Patrick Sklenka (AF) 7-5, 6-0
2. Jose Carvajal (USU) vs. Luke Sanderson (AF) 6-2, 5-6, unfinished
3. Felipe Acosta (USU) def. Paul Hendrix (AF) 6-4, 6-3
4. Sergiu Bucur (USU) vs. Tadhg Collins (AF) 7-5, 5-5, unfinished
5. Rithvik Bollipalli (USU) def. Mack Galvin (AF) 6-3, 6-3
6. Duro Opacic (USU) def. Jordan Azuma (AF) 6-3, 6-0
Match Notes:
Air Force 9-9, 0-3 MW
Utah State 15-7, 3-0 MW
MW Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (6,5,1,3)
-USU-
