PROVO, Utah – No. 67 BYU women’s tennis benefited from big matches across the board on their way to a convincing 6-1 win over No. 37 New Mexico (8-3) Saturday in Provo.
“I’m so proud of my girls today,” BYU head coach Laruen Jones-Spencer said. “We came together as a team, stepped up and played great tennis.”
The Cougars (5-4) seized control of the match early with an impressive doubles performance as a team. Seniors Meghan Sheehan-Dizon and Morgan Anderson-Littlewood got the momentum going with a quick 6-1 victory over Emily Olivier and Dalina Dahlmans. Toby Miclat and Brittanie Eraso, playing at No. 1 doubles clinched the point shortly later with a 6-4 victory over Sharon Coone and Natasha Smith.
“Doubles was huge for us today. We played aggressive, took control and played with confidence,” Jones-Spencer said. "In singles, we fought hard and played with heart. This one meant a lot to us today.”
Junior Nicolette Tran made sure BYU maintained momentum with a quick victory at No. 2 singles. Tran beat Meredith Hopson 6-1, 6-3 to give the Cougars a 2-0 lead in the match. Playing at No. 1 singles, Sheehan-Dizon fought hard to a 7-6, 7-6 win against Smith. Savannah Ware fell at no. 3 singles to Olivier 7-6, 7-5 but that was the only point the Lobos could muster.
Toby Miclat pulled out a three-set victory at No. 4 singles against Dominique Dulski 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 to clinch the match for BYU. Erica Valimaki and Anderson-Littlewood both tallied victories afterward to push the final score to 6-1. Valimaki beat Coone 6-3, 6-3 and Anderson-Littlewood ousted Rachana Bhat 06, 6-3, 1-0.
BYU will look to maintain the high level of play as they head back into West Coast Conference play next Friday in San Francisco. Their match with San Francisco will be Friday at 10 a.m. PST.