San Diego, Calif. (April 29, 2006) -- The ideal No. 1 versus No. 2 match up for the Mountain West Conference Championship didn't end with the desired results for the BYU women's tennis team Saturday. In their third-straight appearance in the title match, the Cougars fought to the end but weren't able to stop No. 1 seed TCU, losing 4-0 to the Horned Frogs at the Barnes Tennis Center.
The doubles matches that began the contest were indicative of the close competition that would continue throughout the match. Both BYU and TCU came out firing on all cylinders, knowing that winning the doubles point could mean the difference between a win and a loss. Olga Boulytcheva and Lauren Jones played the same tennis they have played all season, beating Kewa Nichols and Nicole Leimbach 8-4. The Boulytcheva-Jones duo is now 13-0 this season. The other Cougar doubles teams played just as well, but couldn't overcome strong play from the other side of the net. TCU won the doubles matches on courts Nos.1 and 2, and with the wins clinched the doubles point to jump out to the 1-0 advantage.
The Horned Frogs added one more point to their lead in singles play behind a strong performance from Ana Cetnik. Playing in the No. 3 slot, Cetnik jumped out in front of BYU's Sofia Holden and took the first set 6-2. Holden couldn't recover in the second set, and Cetnik went on to win 6-2, 6-0 to give TCU a 2-0 advantage.
BYU wasn't done, though, and those remaining on the court fought hard to bring BYU back into the match. Lauren Jones played superb tennis at No. 2, blazing through No. 30 Helena Besovic 6-1 in the first set, and matching her point-for-point in the second. Dolly Chang took some of the Cougar load on her shoulders as well. She gutted out a thrilling 7-6 first-set victory over Kewa Nichols to keep the Cougar hopes alive.
Seeing that BYU was inching its way back into the match, TCU took advantage of its cushion and really began playing aggressive tennis. Court No. 1 showcased a Top-25 contest, where BYU's Olga Boulytcheva, ranked No. 24 in the nation squared off with TCU's Nicole Leimbach, ranked No. 17. Fittingly, the athletes that led their teams throughout the season were facing each other at a critical time in the match. The two mirrored each other in the first set, trading points until Leimbach was able to earn and protect a lead and steal the first set 6-4. Boulytcheva continued fighting through the second set, but didn't have enough to keep pace with her opponent. Leimbach worked her way into a comfortable lead and eventually closed the match with a 6-1 victory. Minutes later, Glorianna Lopez broke free from BYU's Jennifer Miccoli to take the straight-set victory 6-2, 6-4 and give TCU the Mountain West Conference Championship in its first year as a member of the MWC.
With conference play complete, the Cougars now await an invitation to the NCAA Tennis Championships. Official Brackets will be announced May 3.
MWC CHampionship Match
TCU 4 BYU 0
Doubles
1. H. Besovic/A. Cetnik (TCU) def. A. Sourkova/J. Miccoli (BYU) 8-6
2. A. Morgado/A. Sydorska (TCU) def. S. Holden/D. Chang (BYU) 8-6
3. O. Boulytcheva/L.Jones (BYU) def. K. Nichols/N. Leimbach (TCU) 8-4
Singles
1. Nicole Leimbach (TCU) def. Olga Boulytcheva (BYU) 6-4, 6-1
2. Helena Besovic (TCU) vs. Lauren Jones (BYU) 2-6, 6-6 (DNF)
3. Anna Sydorska (TCU) vs. Anastasia Sourkova (BYU) 7-6 (6), 2-2 (DNF)
4. Ana Cetnik (TCU) def. Sofia Holden (BYU) 6-2, 6-0
5. Dolly Chang (BYU) vs. Kewa Nichols (TCU) 7-6 (3), 3-1 DNF
6. Gloriann Lopez (TCU) def. Jennifer Miccoli (BYU) 6-2, 6-4