Oct. 25, 2009

LAS VEGAS - The UNLV doubles team of Luca Barlocchi and Mehdi Bouras came up just short Sunday, losing in the title match of the ITA Mountain Region Men's Tennis Championships at the Darling Tennis Center.

Seeded sixth, the Rebel duo held an early lead but saw fourth-seeded Phillip Ellers and Alex Golding of Utah take the final two points of the match to win 8-6 and earn a trip to Yale for the ITA National Indoor Championships next month.

"We're really proud of Mehdi and Luca for playing such a great tournament here this week," UNLV head coach Owen Hambrook said. "It's a disappointing ending, obviously, but if they play like this during the dual-match season, they'll be a successful No. 1 doubles team for us."

UNLV will close out its fall tournament season by hosting the Rebel Classic at the Fertitta Tennis Complex this Friday through Sunday.

2009 ITA MOUNTAIN REGION MEN'S TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPSDarling Memorial Tennis Center, Las Vegas
DOUBLES FINAL(4) Phillip Ellers/Alex Golding (UTAH)def. (6) Luca Barlocchi/Mehdi Bouras (UNLV) 8-6