Doubles
1. Wally Thayne/Zach Fuchs (BYU) vs. Valentino Pellegrin/Andreas Kramer (ISU) 5-4, unfinished
2. Jack Barnett/Redd Owen (BYU) def. Ege Cankus/Hiroki Fujita (ISU) 6-1
3. TJ Wells/Tygen Goldammer (BYU) def. Patrick Kristensen/Wikus Robbertse (ISU) 6-4
Order of finish: 2, 3
The Cougars started out the match on the front foot at No. 2 doubles as Barnett and Owen picked up a 6-1 victory. Up 3-0 with Idaho State serving, both pressured the net and scooped low for a couple of returns before Owen gained the upper hand for a putaway at the net. Later, Owen would drill an ace to the far side to win the set.
Freshmen combo TJ Wells and Goldammer cemented the doubles point in BYU's favor with a 6-4 finish. With the score knotted at 3-3, the duo earned a break after a Bengal lob fell wide. Both teams held serve for the next two games to make it 5-4. With BYU up 40-30, the Cougars pressured the net and stayed put for a long point, eventually winning on an unreachable putaway to the right side.
No. 1 doubles was close throughout. With the score knotted at 3-3 and BYU serving, an intended lob by Idaho State flew just over the net before Wally Thayne let it bounce and then punished the Bengals on a slam to the baseline. The match stood at 5-4 for Thayne and Zach Fuchs before being abandoned.
Singles
1. Jack Barnett (BYU) def. Valentino Pellegrin (ISU) 6-1, 6-4
2. Andreas Kramer (ISU) def. Wally Thayne (BYU) 7-5, 6-3
3. Zach Fuchs (BYU) def. Patrick Kristensen (ISU) 5-7, 6-3, 6-4
4. Redd Owen (BYU) def. Hiroki Fujita (ISU) 6-1, 6-4
5. Tygen Goldammer (BYU) def. Wikus Robbertse (ISU) 6-3, 6-3
6. David Duong (BYU) def. Ege Cankus (ISU) 6-1, 6-7 (5-7), 16-14
Order of finish: 1, 2, 4, 3, 5, 6
Barnett continued where he left off Thursday by winning in straight sets 6-1, 6-4 to put BYU up 2-0 in the dual match tally. Up 5-1 in the first set, the senior didn't drop a point, registering an ace that clipped the corner to earn set point. In set two, Barnett secured a break and then went up 4-2 after a shot down the line went untouched. With the score at 5-4 and the senior up 40-15, he slammed another ace to get the win. Barnett is now 7-2 on the season in singles play.
Idaho State won its first point of the match at No. 2 singles. Thayne and opponent Andreas Kramer went back-and-forth throughout the opening set. Thayne trailed 30-40 with the score at 5-5, but couldn't tie things up before Kramer scored a break to win the first set. A couple of breaks for Kramer in the beginning of the second set gave way to a 3-6 loss for Thayne.
Owen finished shortly after on court four. The sophomore rode a strong start with a couple of breaks. Up 5-1 and the score at deuce, Bengal Hiroki Fujita hit the ball into the net on a baseline rally. In the second set, Owen wore out his opponent with several long rallies and powerful ground strokes. With the score at 4-4, he held serve and then got a break on the match-deciding game. Up 40-30, he hit a backhand ground stroke that went unreturned.
In a lengthy battle, Fuchs powered through three sets to earn a victory despite dropping the first set. Fuchs rebounded in the second set after an Idaho State break in game one to later claim a 5-3 lead. Serving for the set win, Fuchs held, notching an ace and winning after another serve went unreturned. In the third set, Fuchs faced a 2-3 deficit. He then held serve on agressive net play before registering a break. Fuchs then held serve the rest of the way, slicing a winner near the service line to secure BYU's dual match victory.
Goldammer then held his own in two sets at 6-3, 6-3. Up 5-3 with the score at deuce, the freshman displayed impressive topspin as his opponent hit the ball out on a long baseline rally. With the score at 3-3, Goldammer got a break. After holding serve, Goldammer got another break to win 6-3 once again.
On court six, David Duong cruised to a 6-1 first set victory. The freshman faced some adversity in set two, however, falling behind but then fighting back for a tiebreker. Despite trailing 1-5 in the second set tiebreaker, Duong made it 5-6 before his opponent Ege Cankus drilled an ace. During the ensuing super tiebreaker in place of the third set, Duong went up 7-3 after Cankus hit the ball into the net. Cankus then surged back for a 10-9 lead before Duong evened the score at 10-10. Long rallies followed as the freshman faced a match point deficit three more times before securing three straight points and a 16-14 triumph.
Up Next
The Cougars will head east next week, with a match on Thursday, Feb. 29 at North Carolina Central slated for 11 a.m. MST. BYU will then travel to Virginia for a match the next day against Radford on Friday, March 1 at 12 p.m. MST.
