PROVO, Utah – In its final home match of the season, the BYU women’s tennis team dropped a tough 4-3 decision to No. 34 Saint Mary’s Friday at the BYU Outdoor Tennis Courts.
“I thought the girls played really well in doubles,” BYU coach Lauren Jones-Spencer said. “The girls came out fighting hard in doubles and I was really proud of their high-energy. We took the first set on five courts in singles. The difference between a top 30 team and us is that they fight until the end. They trust their game and play to win no matter what. We got hesitant and doubted ourselves. Hopefully we’ll learn from it and keep getting stronger.”
The Cougars (5-12, 1-2 WCC) started the match out strong, sweeping the Gaels (11-5, 4-0 WCC) in doubles. Freshman Morgan Anderson and sophomore Desiree Tran recorded the first win for BYU, with a quick 8-2 victory over Anna Chkhikvishvili and Catherine Isip on Court 2.
Junior Aubrey Paul and freshman Lisa Waldron defeated their Court 3 opponents, 8-4, before senior captain Megan Price and freshman Meghan Sheehan-Dizon topped Jade Frampton and Jenny Jullien, 9-7(5). BYU’s No. 1 doubles team brought their match to a tiebreaker after being down 7-6.
After losing the doubles point, Saint Mary’s answered with the first singles win over Andie Young on Court 6.
The Cougars once again took control of the match, winning the next two matches to take a 3-1 lead. Playing at the No. 5 position, Paul came back after being down 1-4 in the second set to top Catherine Leduc in straight sets, 6-4, 7-5. Sheehan-Dizon won her sixth consecutive match with a 7-6(5), 6-1 victory over Jade Frampton on Court 3.
The final three matches went to three sets apiece. BYU won the first set of each before Saint Mary’s battled to take the second on each court. The Gaels evened the score with wins on courts 2 and 4. Anderson dropped her Court 2 match 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 against No. 88 Jullien, before Price was edged out 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-4 in her last home match as a Cougar.
“Megan [Price] is an incredible individual and athlete,” said Spencer. “We’re really going to miss her fight and leadership next year.”
The match came down to Court 1. Tran won the first set 7-5 before Isip grabbed the second, 6-4. After a back-and-forth battle, Saint Mary’s overtook BYU in the final set, 6-4, securing the Gaels match win.
The Cougars finish out the season on the road, facing Gonzaga on Friday before taking on Portland, Saturday. BYU wraps up the regular season the following week against LMU and Pepperdine, April 20 and April 21, respectively.
No. 34 Saint Mary's - 4
BYU - 3
Singles competition:
1. Catherine Isip (SMC) def. Desiree Tran (BYU) 5-7, 6-4, 6-4
2. No. 88 Jenny Jullien (SMC) def. Morgan Anderson (BYU) 4-6, 6-3, 7-5
3. Meghan Sheehan-Dizon (BYU) def. Jade Frampton (SMC) 7-6(5), 6-1
4. Anna Chkhikvishvili (SMC) def. Megan Price (BYU) 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-4
5. Aubrey Paul (BYU) def. Catherine Leduc (SMC) 6-4, 7-5
6. Carla Lindlar (SMC) def. Andie Young (BYU) 6-1, 6-0
Order of finish: 6, 3, 5, 2, 4, 1
Doubles competition:
1. M. Price/M. Sheehan-Dizon (BYU) def. J. Frampton/J. Jullien (SMC) 9-7(5)
2. M. Anderson/D. Tran (BYU) def. A. Chkhikvishvili/C. Isip (SMC) 8-2
3. A. Paul/L. Waldron (BYU) def. C. Leduc/C. Lindlar (SMC) 8-4
Order of finish: 2, 3, 1