Air Force Academy
Utah @ MWC Champs
Air Force defeats Utah, 4-3, at MWC Championships
4/24/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
April 24, 2003
The Air Force men's tennis team won its first conference tournament match in five years Thursday by defeating the University of Utah, 4-3, in the first round of the 2003 Mountain West Conference Championships in Provo, Utah. The Falcons, seeded fourth, will face top-seed San Diego State in the semifinals on Friday, April 25 at 9 a.m.
Air Force (21-5) last won a conference tournament match in 1998 with a 4-1 victory over Hawaii in the Western Athletic Conference Championships. This is the first win for the Falcons in the four-year history of the Mountain West Conference Tournament.
Senior Eric Pittman came from behind to win the deciding match at No. 2 singles in three sets, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 over Utah's Roeland Brateanu. Pittman and sophomore Tyler McClung, AFA's all-conference No. 1 doubles team, combined to beat Brateanu and Nick Coutts, 8-4, at the No. 1 spot. Freshman Shannon Buck and senior Tyler West defeated the Utes' No. 3 doubles team of Daniel Lohff and Mike Bullard, 8-6, to clinch the doubles point for Air Force.
Buck and sophomore Chris Dong also posted singles victories for Air Force. Buck, who was named MWC Co-Player of the Year on Wednesday, rolled past Lohff at No. 1 singles, 6-1, 6-0. He improves to 24-1 overall and 6-0 against MWC opponents at No. 1 singles. Dong snapped a three-match losing streak to beat Kaisorn Chaichana, 6-2, 6-2, at the No. 6 spot. Utah won the other three singles matches in straight sets.
Air Force 4, Utah 3
2003 MWC Championships
Provo, Utah
SINGLES
1. Shannon Buck (AFA) def. Daniel Lohff 6-1, 6-0
2. Erik Pittman (AFA) def. Roeland Brateanu 3-6, 6-4, 6-3
3. Tyler Poulson (Utah) def. Tyler McClung 6-4, 6-4
4. Thomas Gryzb (Utah) def. Justin Mancinelli 6-1, 6-2
5. Nick Coutts (Utah) def. Trevor Johnson 7-5, 6-0
6. Chris Dong (AFA) def. Kaisorn Chaichana 6-2, 6-2
DOUBLES
1. Pittman/McClung (AFA) def. Brateanu/Coutts 8-4
2. Poulson/Gryzb (Utah) vs. Dong/Martin Black DNF
3. Buck/Tyler West (AFA) def. Lohff/Mike Bullard (Utah) 8-6
