LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – Joel Gibson rallied to take a three-set match at the fifth position of singles to give his UNLV men's tennis team a hard-fought 4-3 win over Weber State on a sunny Sunday at the Fertitta Tennis Complex.
 
The Rebels won all three of their matches this weekend to improve to 4-1 overall while the Wildcats fell to 1-3.
 
UNLV immediately surrendered its first point at home in the young season when WSU took doubles. Ilia Snitari and Arda Karakas won easily at the top spot in the lineup before the Wildcats won on the other two courts to forge a 1-0 advantage.
 
In singles, Snitari, ranked 35th in the nation, rolled past Theo Mottier, 6-2, 6-2, at the top while Illia Maksymchuk won 6-3, 6-2 over Dawid Scholtz at No. 2; and Vitaily Horovoy swept William Zulch, 6-4, 6-2 at the fourth spot.
 
After WSU won at Nos. 3 and 6, all eyes moved to No. 5 where Gibson and Clement Lecoq had split sets. The Rebel junior, however, took the decisive third set in the 6-7, 6-2, 6-3 final that delivered the overall match for the home team.
 
REBEL OF THE MATCH: Snitari, a sophomore who has never lost in a collegiate dual match, improved to 15-1 this season and 23-1 overall as a Rebel.
 
QUOTABLE: "We showed a lot of toughness today and it was a big deal for Joel to tough it out for us in the end. The guys did a lot of good things during the weekend but have a lot to correct and we know we have some work to do."
-UNLV Head Coach Andy Jackson
 
UP NEXT: UNLV will have a week off before heading to play USC on February 8.
 
Men's Tennis Match Results
UNLV 4 WEBER STATE 3
Jan. 25, 2026, at Las Vegas, NV
(Fertitta Tennis Complex)

Singles competition
1. #35 Ilia Snitari (UNLVMT) def. Theo Mottier (WSU-M) 6-2, 6-2
2. Illia Maksymchuk (UNLVMT) def. Dawid Scholtz (WSU-M) 6-3, 6-2
3. Toit Malan (WSU-M) def. Michael Kouame (UNLVMT) 6-2, 1-6, 7-5
4. Vitaliy Horovoy (UNLVMT) def. William Zulch (WSU-M) 6-4, 6-2
5. Joel Gibson (UNLVMT) def. Clement Lecoq (WSU-M) 6-7 (5-7), 6-2, 6-3
6. Samuel Battistone (WSU-M) def. Roberto Hernandez (UNLVMT) 7-5, 6-3
 
 Doubles competition
1. Ilia Snitari/Arda Karakas (UNLVMT) def. Ken Dinh/Samuel Battistone (WSU-M) 6-2
2. Toit Malan/Dawid Scholtz (WSU-M) def. Illia Maksymchuk/Michael Kouame (UNLVMT) 6-2
3. Clement Lecoq/William Zulch (WSU-M) def. Vitaliy Horovoy/Joel Gibson (UNLVMT) 6-3
 
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2,3); Singles (1,4,2,6,3,5)