Final Stats

RESULTS

SAN DIEGO - David Norfeldt won his fifth consecutive match and the clinching point as San Diego delivered in big moments to earn a 4-2 victory against BYU on Saturday afternoon.

Norfeldt earned his fifth straight victory in dramatic fashion with a comeback win in the first set and a close finish in the second to earn the Toreros (9-7, 3-0 WCC) clinching point.

After trailing 4-1 in the first set, then 6-5, Norfeldt forced a tiebreaker and won it, 7-4, to take the first set. He jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the second set but dropped the next three games before finishing off Sam Tullis, 6-4, to seal the victory.

It is the third straight victory for USD and the Toreros improved to 3-0 in conference play.

"Today was an absolute battle by both teams," said head coach Ryan Keckley. "BYU came out with a lot to prove and took four of the first six sets in singles. We made adjustments and kept our composure after their initial strike. We knew that if we played physical tennis and stayed the course we would have the chances we needed to win."

USD won the doubles point to jump out to an early 1-0 lead. Joel Gamerov and August Holmgren made quick work of the Cougars (14-5, 3-1 WCC) Sean Hill and Jeffrey Hsu at the No. 1 position, 6-2. The duo has won three straight matches, improved to 3-1 when playing in the first position and has won seven of their past 10 matches.

Nico Borter and Pratt Keerasuntonpong looked to be in control of their match early, jumping out to a 5-1 lead in the second spot. However, BYU won the next four games to tie the match at 5-5. The pair rebounded nicely and won the next two games to win the match, 7-5, and secure the doubles point.

Gamerov continued to dominate the No. 3 singles position and earned a dominating victory against John Pearce, 6-2, 6-0. He has won four straight matches and eight consecutive sets.

"Joel has been an absolute beast in both singles and doubles," said Keckley. "I can't say enough about him. He has been a staple at the three-spot for us the last four matches. He has made a big jump from this year both physically and mentally. He understands how important that scoreboard pressure is for this team."

The Toreros took a 3-0 lead when Alex Araouzos earned a comeback victory at No. 5, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2. He has won four consecutive matches in the fifth position.

USD was on the verge of a shutout with Norfeldt leading 5-1 in the second set. However, Tullis went on a run and won three consecutive games to close the deficit to 5-4.

While Tullis was rallying, BYU won matches at the sixth and second positions, respectively, to cut USD's lead to 3-2.

The tense moment was short-lived as Norfeldt finished off his opponent shortly thereafter to seal the 4-2 victory for the Toreros.

USD will look to continue its winning streak next week when it hits the road for a pair of matches at San Francisco and Santa Clara.