BOISE, Idaho – Utah State men’s tennis fell in a close match against No. 29 Boise State, 4-3, on Saturday, Feb. 6 in its first Western Athletic Conference match of the year. USU is now 3-3 on the season with a 0-1 WAC record thus far after going 1-1 on the weekend.

"This is a tough loss, but we're excited about how we played against a nationally ranked team," said USU head coach Christian Wright. "Overall, it was a great match and a very, very close match. We are excited to get back onto the court for our next competition."

Boise State swept the doubles competition winning the point with victories at the number one, two and three positions. At the number one spot the Broncos’ James Meredith and Harry Skinner defeated juniors Jakob Asplund and Bryan Marchant, 8-6. BSU’s Christian Hodel and Jeff Mullen ended freshman Sven Poslusny and Amit Maharaj’s five-match winning streak in doubles play at the number two spot with a close 8-7 victory.

In singles action, USU battled back but could not overcome the Broncos with losses at the number one, two and three spots. At the number four position, junior Alex Thatcher battled back through three sets to beat BSU’s Freddy Walsh, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6. Maharaj defeated the Broncos’ Michael Gilliland, 7-6, 6-1, at the number five spot while junior Nikita Ryashchenko proved victorious over the Broncos’ Nick Gourley, 7-5, 6-3, at the number six position.

Utah State returns to Logan for two home matches on Wednesday, Feb. 17 and Saturday, Feb. 20 against in-state rival Weber State and Mesa State, respectively. All home games are held at the Logan Sports Academy and Racquet Club where admission is free and open to the public.

#29 Boise State 4, Utah State 3
Feb 06, 2010 at Boise, Idaho
Singles
1. James Meredith (BSU) def. Jakob Asplund (USU), 6-0, 6-3
2. Harry Skinner (BSU) def. Sven Poslusny (USU), 3-6, 6-2, 6-2
3. Christian Hodel (BSU) def. Bryan Marchant (USU), 6-7, 7-5, 6-3
4. Alex Thatcher (USU) def. Freddy Walsh (BSU), 3-6, 6-3, 7-6
5. Amit Maharaj (USU) def. Michael Gilliland (BSU), 7-6, 6-1
6. Nikita Ryashchenko (USU) def. Nick Gourley (BSU), 7-5, 6-3

Doubles
1. Meredith/Skinner (BSU) def. Asplund/Marchant (USU), 8-6
2. Hodel/Jeff Mullen (BSU) def. Poslusny/Maharaj (USU), 8-7
3. Gilliland/Gourley (BSU) def. Ryashchenko/Ballam (USU), 8-0

-USU-