Jan. 30, 2010

LAS VEGAS - The 75th-ranked UNLV men's tennis team closed out its undefeated weekend with a 6-1 win over Saint Mary's College on a sunny Saturday at the Fertitta Tennis Complex.

The Rebels improved to 3-1 while the Gaels fell to 0-3.

The morning started with a doubles sweep by the hosts. Mehdi Bouras and Luca Barlocchi won 8-3 at the top position; Matthew Kunkel and Attila Toth won 8-4 at No. 2; and Johannes Markel and Bernard Schoeman emerged victorious, 8-6, at No. 3.

In singles action, UNLV won three matches in straight sets and took another pair that went to super-tiebreaker.

Super sophomore Bouras downed Lucas Tirelli 7-5, 6-4 at the top spot while 102nd-ranked senior Barlocchi eased by Andrea Zannoni 6-0, 6-1 at No. 2 and Toth rolled past Sherif Hamdy 6-2, 6-3 on court three. Markel outlasted Gavin Leon 6-3, 6-7, 1-0 (10-4) at No. 4 and Schoeman got by Mike Luck 4-6, 6-4, 1-0 (10-4) at the bottom of the lineup. The victory capped an impressive first weekend of collegiate action for the freshman as Schoeman went a combined 5-0 in singles and doubles to open his Rebel career.

"It was good to see us get the job done on all three courts in doubles," said UNLV head coach Owen Hambrook. "We also had energy up and down the lineup in singles against a tenacious opponent. All in all, this was a good weekend of tennis for the Rebels."

UNLV is next in action on Friday when it hosts New Mexico State beginning with doubles at 2 p.m. Admission is free of charge.

Men's Tennis Match ResultsJan. 30, 2010 at Las Vegas(Fertitta Tennis Complex)#75 UNLV 6, Saint Mary's College 1
Singles competition1. Mehdi Bouras (UNLV) def. Lucas Tirelli (SMC) 7-5, 6-42. Luca Barlocchi (UNLV) def. Andrea Zannoni (SMC) 6-0, 6-13. Attila Toth (UNLV) def. Sherif Hamdy (SMC) 6-2, 6-34. Johannes Markel (UNLV) def. Gavin Leon (SMC) 6-3, 6-7, 1-0 (10-4)5. Youssef El Bouzkouri (SMC) def. Kasper Konyves (UNLV) 7-6, 6-46. Bernard Schoeman (UNLV) def. Mike Luck (SMC) 4-6, 6-4, 1-0 (10-4)
Doubles competition1. Mehdi Bouras/Luca Barlocchi (UNLV) def. Gavin Leon/Steven D.-Roberts (SMC) 8-32. Matthew Kunkel/Attila Toth (UNLV) def. Lucas Tirelli/Sherif Hamdy (SMC) 8-43. Bernard Schoeman/Johannes Markel (UNLV) def. Mike Luck/Michael Carreno (SMC) 8-6