April 28, 2007

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Playing just a few miles from Pikes Peak, the unranked UNLV men's tennis team peaked at the right time of year to blow past No. 74 BYU 4-1 and run away with the program's first-ever Mountain West Conference tournament championship on Saturday.

Now, fourth-year head coach Owen Hambrook and his Rebels are headed to the NCAA Championships for the first time since 1999 after securing the league's automatic bid. It marked the fourth conference tournament championship in program history but the first since UNLV won three straight as part of the Big West Conference in 1994-96.

With their fourth straight victory this spring, the third-seeded Rebels improved to 13-13 overall while the fifth-seeded Cougars saw their own four-match winning streak snapped to end their season at 14-14.

UNLV has not lost a singles match in four consecutive matches, including all three played this week at the Air Force Academy. They did, however, lose the doubles point for the first in the tournament as the Cougars opened the championship showdown by taking two of three matches for one team point. The Rebels' lone victory came at the top position where Elliot Wronski and Brett Hunter combined for an 8-5 win over James Ludlow and Dominik Kaufhold.

"BYU was just too good for us in doubles today," said Hambrook. "But I told the guys during the break to not worry about anything but playing within themselves in singles. Just focus on one point at a time."

Down 1-0, UNLV responded in style and took control of the match by winning the first set on five of six courts, with the lone loss coming in a tiebreaker.

"The guys rose to the occasion and fought hard against a BYU team and coach that I have tremendous respect for," Hambrook said. "We really played well across the board."

The Rebels quickly tied things up when freshman Slavko Bijelica downed Chip Hand 7-5, 6-1. The top of the lineup card featured a matchup of two ranked players and No. 71 Wronski finished off No. 109 Ludlow 7-6, 6-3, to give his team the lead and notch his seventh win over a ranked opponent this season.

Senior Brett Hunter, who has thrived since moving into the fourth spot in the order, then got by Jonathan Sanchez 6-2, 7-5. Another top freshman, Luca Barlocchi, clinched the match with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Cale Planck on court six. The "Swiss Wizard" won for the 11th time in his last 12 outings, including a sparkling 7-1 vs. Mountain West foes. With the championship clinched, the two remaining matches were halted in the second set.

"This was an unbelievable day for UNLV tennis," said Hambrook, whose team rallied to win nine of its last 13 matches after dropping to 4-9 in the middle of March. "Winning the conference championship is not only special for the players and coaches here but also for all of the staff that is part of this program and for all of the past Rebels who played here. I also have to give a big thank you to my assistant coach, Beck Roghaar, who has been just phenomenal in his first season with us. Also, having the women's team stay and support us after their match ended made a big difference today."

UNLV will learn its destination for the NCAA Regionals when the field is announced on Tuesday.

UNLV MEN'S TENNIS RESULTSMOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE FINALUNLV 4, #74 BYU 1At AFA Outdoor Tennis Facility, Colorado Springs
DOUBLES: (BYU EARNS ONE TEAM POINT)1. Wronski/Hunter (UNLV) def. Ludlow/Kaufhold (BYU) 8-52. Hand/Sanchez (BYU) def. Jonathan Hooper/Burrows (UNLV) 8-33. Mears/Planck (BYU) def. Campbell/Bijelica (UNLV) 8-6
SINGLES: (UNLV EARNS FOUR TEAM POINTS)1. #71 Elliot Wronski (UNLV) def. #109 James Ludlow (BYU) 7-6, 6-32. Slavko Bijelica (UNLV) def. Chip Hand (BYU) 7-5, 6-13. Wesley Burrows (UNLV) vs. Dominik Kaufhold (BYU) DNF4. Brett Hunter (UNLV) def. Jonathan Sanchez (BYU) 6-2, 7-55. David Campbell (UNLV) vs. Cassidy Mears (BYU) DNF6. Luca Barlocchi (UNLV) def. Cale Planck (BYU) 6-4, 6-2