PROVO, Utah — The BYU women's tennis team bounced back from a loss in their first dual match of the season to record two wins at home over the weekend, including a 5-2 victory over No. 53 Purdue Saturday. The Cougars, who came into the match ranked No. 46 in the country, improved their dual match record to 2-1 on the season with the win.
The Cougars swept the doubles matches and never looked back on their way to victory. But despite the solid victory, coach Craig Manning noted the fact that his team is young and still improving.
"We played really well," Manning said, "but we still have a lot of improvement to go. We started to play a little flat once the match had been decided. We need to work on playing all the way through our matches."
In addition to the doubles wins, the Cougars got decisive victories from three of their top four singles players. No. 1 singles player Jodi Richardson led the way for BYU, disposing of Purdue's Erika Quebe 6-2, 6-1. Dominique Reynolds and Lu Oswald, the No. 3 and No. 4 singles players for BYU, also recorded straight set wins for the Cougars, and Lindsay Ferrell held on for an 11-9 victory in the third set of her match at No.5 singles.
The match against Purdue was a good measuring stick for the Cougars, as it was their first opportunity to play another team within close range in the rankings.
BYU continues its five-match homestand by hosting Mississippi on Monday, January 29 at 11 a.m.
RESULTS:
BYU 5 Purdue 2
Singles
- Jodi Richardson (BYU) def. Erika Quebe (Purdue), 6-2, 6-1
- Melissa Iqbac (Purdue) def. Brooke Ferney (BYU), 6-4, 3-6, 10-6
- Dominique Reynolds (BYU) def. Gretchen Haynor 6-1, 6-2
- Lu Oswald (BYU) def. Lyasay Fick (Purdue) 6-2, 6-2
- Lindsay Ferrell (BYU) def. Lisa Walganback (Purdue), 6-4, 2-6, 11-9
- Missy Wright (Purdue) def. Elyse Jensen (BYU), 2-6, 6-2, 10-0
- Melissa Woods (Purdue) def. Liza Khordoiarova 6-2, 4-6 (BYU), (10-8) -- didn't count toward overall score
Doubles
1. Richardson/Fernley (BYU) def. Quebe/Fick (Purdue), 8-3
2. Reynolds/Khordoiarova (BYU) def. Haynor/Wright (Purdue), 8-4
3. Oswald/Ferrell def. Woods