PROVO, Utah — Strong doubles play catapults BYU women's tennis to a 4-1 win over Pacific and confirms trip to West Coast Conference Tournament next week.
"I'm proud of the way we came out in doubles," BYU head coach Lauren Jones-Spencer said. "They're a good team and had some good points, but we stayed tough and finished strong in No. 1 and 2 doubles. Then we just really tried to carry that energy in to singles and I really felt like that helped us have a lot of confidence in singles play. We just want to build off of our great tennis today and take it into Senior Day tomorrow."
The Cougars (12-8, 5-3 WCC) started off hot in double play to begin the match. Sophomores Kate Cusick and Polina Malykh in No. 2 doubles earned a quick, commanding 6-1 win over Pacific's (6-11, 2-5 WCC) Anneroos Nederstigt and Sabrina Rodriguez.
No. 1 doubles' duo, senior Mayci Jones and freshman Anastasia Abramyan wasted no time to follow up their teammates win, with a 6-1 victory of their own over Maayan Sela and Dohee Lee of Pacific to give BYU the doubles point. No. 3 doubles did not finish.
Abramyan carried over her excellent doubles play in to No. 2 singles against Lee once again. The freshman only dropped one game the entire match for a decisive 6-0, 6-1 victory to give BYU a 2-0 lead.
In No. 3 singles, Malykh extended the Cougars' lead to 3-0 with a strong 6-2, 6-1 win over the Tigers' Karina Vyrlan. However, Pacific's Anna Ramos Vinolas answered back in No. 4 singles in a tight battle against Cusick to win 6-2, 6-4 and put the Tigers on the board.
With a two point lead, freshman Madeline Almeida sealed the deal in No. 5 singles with 6-2, 6-1 victory over Nederstigt to give BYU the 4-1 win. No. 1 and 6 singles did not finish.
After Friday's victory, the Cougars have guaranteed a spot in the WCC tournament next week. The remaining matches this weekend will determine final seeding for the championship.
BYU finishes off the regular season tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. MT at the Outdoor Tennis Courts and will honor lone senior Jones before the match begins. Admission is free and complementary pizza will be provided to all those in attendance. Live stats for the match can be found on the Cougars' online schedule.
Match Results:
BYU 4, Pacific 1
Singles competition
1. Mayci Jones (BYU) vs. Maayan Sela (PAC) 6-2, 4-6, 4-3, unfinished
2. Anastasia Abramyan (BYU) def. Dohee Lee (PAC) 6-0, 6-1
3. Polina Malykh (BYU) def. Karina Vyrlan (PAC) 6-2, 6-1
4. Anna Ramos Vinolas (PAC) def. Kate Cusick (BYU) 6-3, 6-4
5. Madeline Almeida (BYU) def. Anneroos Nederstigt (PAC) 6-2, 6-1
6. Samantha Smith (BYU) vs. Sabrina Rodriguez (PAC) 6-3, 3-3, unfinished
Doubles competition
1. Anastasia Abramyan/Mayci Jones (BYU) def. Maayan Sela/Dohee Lee (PAC) 6-1
2. Polina Malykh/Kate Cusick (BYU) def. Sabrina Rodriguez/Anneroos Nederstigt (PAC) 6-1
3. Taylah Beckman/Samantha Smith (BYU) vs. Karina Vyrlan/Anna Ramos Vinolas (PAC) 3-4, unfinished
Match Notes:
Pacific 6-11, 2-5
BYU 12-8, 5-3 WCC
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1); Singles (2,3,4,5)