PALO ALTO -- After a phenomenal year in which they reached a No. 19 national ranking and qualified for the ITA National Team Indoor Championships, the season comes to a close for the No. 28 BYU women's tennis team (20-8) as they are defeated 4-1 by the No. 38 Arizona Wildcats (13-11) in the first round of the NCAA Tennis Championships. This was the third-straight year the Cougars advanced to the NCAA round of 64.
For the entire season BYU's strength was in its doubles teams, having lost the doubles point only five times in 27 matches during the regular season. Arizona came out of the gates attacking the Cougar doubles teams with all had, and their strategy proved to make a difference in the match. Arizona's Danielle Steinberg and Camelia Todorova started out on fire and never let up, coasting through their match against the No. 51 duo of Dolly Chang and Sofia Holden for a quick 8-1 victory. However, the Cougars weren't done, as BYU's Olga Boulytcheva and Lauren Jones answered with an 8-3 victory over Kasia Jakowlew and Jessie Rochefort. The win makes the Boulytcheva and Jones duo a perfect 14-0 in doubles this year. With the score tied 1-1, the doubles point fittingly came down to the result on court No. 1. Jennifer Miccoli and Anastasia Sourkova, who entered the championships with an 18- record, traded blows through 16 games with Stephanie Balzert and Juliette Mavrolen. The two teams went back and forth, both refusing to give an inch, until the Wildcats finally pulled away with a 9-7 victory, sealing the doubles point for Arizona.
Arizona used the energy from the doubles win to propel them through the first two singles matches. No. 81 Mavroleon, already with a doubles victory to her name, took Sourkova out quickly 6-1, 6-4 and Jakowlew fended off BYU's Sofia Holden in straight sets 6-4, 6-4. With their backs against the wall, the Cougars called on Junior Lauren Jones, who was brilliant for BYU in the last half of the regular season. Jones put her team on her back, and although it took an extra set was able to defeat Stephanie Balzert 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 to give the Cougars their first point of the match.
Unfortunately, that would be the only point the Cougars would put on the board. Looking to get back into the match, No. 24 Olga Boulytcheva had the lead on No. 37 Danielle Steinberg 4-3 in the third, but her match was cut short when Camelia Todorova defeated Dolly Chang 6-7, 6-2, 6-1 to clinch the victory for Arizona and close the door on the Cougar's season.
The Cougar's season comes to a close with a 20-8 record and an appearance in the NCAA Championships. The year also included a second place finish in the Mountain West Conference, six players named to the All-Conference Team, and a Cougar was named MWC Player of the Week four times.
Arizona 4, Brigham Young 1
Doubles
1. Stephanie Balzert/Juliette Mavroleon (Arizona) def. Jennifer Miccoli/Anastasia Sourkova (BYU), 9-7
2. Danielle Steinberg/Camelia Todorova (Arizona) def. #51 Dolly Chang/Sofia Holden (BYU), 8-1
3. Olga Boulytcheva/Lauren Jones (BYU) def. Kasia Jakowlew/Jessie Rochefort (Arizona), 8-3
Order of Finish: 2, 3, 1
Singles
1. #24 Olga Boulytcheva (BYU) led #37 Danielle Steinberg (Arizona), 4-6, 6-4, 4-3
2. Lauren Jones (BYU) def. Stephanie Balzert (Arizona), 6-3, 3-6, 6-3
3. #81 Juliette Mavroleon (Arizona) def. Anastasia Sourkova (BYU), 6-1, 6-4
4. Kasia Jakowlew (Arizona) def. Sofia Holden (BYU), 6-4, 6-4
5. Camelia Todorova (Arizona) def. Dolly Chang (BYU), 6-7(4), 6-2, 6-1
6. Jessie Rochefort (Arizona) vs. Jennifer Miccoli (BYU), 2-6, 7-6(5), 2-2
Order of Finish: 3, 4, 2, 5