LAS VEGAS - For the first time in 2026 against a Mountain West opponent, Utah State men's tennis was pushed to the final point.

And the Aggies responded.

Sophomore Xavier Calvelo closed out a three-set win at No. 2 singles, sweeping the top-four spots in the singles lineup in favor of USU to help the Aggies secure a 4-3 win over fourth-seeded UNLV on Thursday night at the Darling Tennis Center.

With the victory, Utah State secures a spot in the MW title match against third-seeded Boise State on Friday, April 24, at 6 p.m. (MT). This is USU's fourth-ever appearance in the MW title match and first since 2023. USU is 2-1 all-time in the MW title match, taking home tournament titles in 2017 and 2018.

Doubles 
For only the second time against MW competition, USU conceded the doubles point. UNLV grabbed wins at the top two positions, including a lengthy tiebreak at No. 1, to take the 1-0 lead. Also in a tiebreak at No. 3 doubles, sophomores Roman Venger and Eliot Nobel held a 5-0 lead at the time the point was clinched.

Singles 
Both teams alternated points throughout singles play. The Aggies responded first as Nobel posted a 6-2, 6-2 win at No. 4 singles to tie the match at 1-1. After the Rebels regained the lead with a win at the sixth position, senior Jean-Baptiste Badon again leveled the match with a 6-3, 6-2, win at the No. 1 position, defeating the MW Player of the Year and the ITA's 65th-ranked singles player in the nation. Again, UNLV retook the lead, this time with a win at court five to go up, 3-2, and put USU firmly on the brink.

Down to the final two matches at courts two and three, both Aggies took the first set before falling in the second, setting up decisive third frames at both positions. At No. 3, Venger rebounded from the second set to dominate the third, blanking his opponent to score a 7-5, 2-6, 6-0 victory, again tying the teams at 3-3. Calvelo then proved near-equally dominant in the final frame at the second position, clinching the match with a 7-5, 4-6, 6-1 victory to send the Aggies into Friday's title match.

Next Up
Utah State advances to the title match on Friday, April 24, at 6 p.m. (MT), to take on third-seeded Boise State. The Aggies notched a 4-2 win over Boise State at home on Senior Day, also receiving singles wins from the top-four spots in the lineup to take the victory and seal an undefeated run through regular season conference play. 
 
FOLLOW ALONG
Fans can follow USU's men's tennis team on Twitter @USUMensTennis, on Facebook at /UtahStateMensTennis or on Instagram at USUMensTennis. Aggie fans can also follow the Utah State athletic program on Twitter, @USUAthletics, Facebook at /USUAthletics and on Instagram, @USUAthletics.
 
No. 1 Utah State vs No. 4 UNLV
April 23, 2026
Darling Tennis Center
Las Vegas, Nevada
 
Results
No. 1 Utah State 4, No. 4 UNLV 3
 
Doubles
1. Arda Karakas/Ilia Snitari (UNLV) def. Xavier Calvelo/Jakub Medved (Utah State) 7-6 (8)
2. Illia Maksymchuk/Marko Maksimovic (UNLV) def. Jean-Baptiste Badon/Dmitri Goubin (Utah State) 6-2
3. Eliot Nobel/Roman Venger (Utah State) vs Joel Gibson/Taiyo Hirano (UNLV) 6-6 (5-0), unfinished

Singles
1. Jean-Baptiste Badon (Utah State) def. No. 65 Ilia Sanitary (UNLV) 6-3, 6-2
2. Xavier Calvelo (Utah State) def. Marko Maksimovic (UNLV) 7-5, 4-6, 6-1
3. Roman Venger (Utah State) def. Illia Maksymchuk (UNLV) 7-5, 2-6, 6-0
4. Eliot Nobel (Utah State) def. Arda Karakas (UNLV) 6-2, 6-2
5. Vitaliy Horovoy (UNLV) def. Jakub Medved (Utah State) 7-6 (4), 6-4
6. Taiyo Hirano (UNLV) def. Dmitri Goubin (Utah State) 6-2, 6-3

Match Notes
Order of Finish: Doubles (2,1); Singles (4,6,1,5,3,2)
No. 1 Utah State (18-5, 7-0 MW)
No. 4 UNLV (14-8, 4-3 MW)
 
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