No. 45 Cougs to open Big 12 Play at UCF and Houston

No. 45 BYU women's tennis is set to compete in its first-ever Big 12 Conference matches this week, opening league play at UCF and Houston beginning Thursday.

Author Trevor Rich
No. 45 Cougs to open Big 12 Play at UCF and HoustonNo. 45 Cougs to open Big 12 Play at UCF and Houston

PROVO, Utah — No. 45 BYU women's tennis is set to compete in its first-ever Big 12 Conference matches this week, opening league play at UCF and Houston beginning Thursday.

The match against UCF is scheduled for 4 p.m. MT Thursday at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Florida. The match against Houston will take place at the Barbara Wallace Winston Tennis Facility at 10 a.m. MT. Fans can follow @byuwtennis on social media for live updates and visit byucougars.com for match results.

BYU Notes:

  • Head Coach Holly Hasler is in her sixth season with a record of 66-48. Assistant Coach Gabby Curtis is in her third season.
  • The Cougars are 8-1 this season, including wins over Fresno State and Cal Poly last week.
  • Bobo Huang (7-0) and Kara Wheatley (7-1) lead BYU in singles victories with seven each.
  • Tina Li is second on the team in doubles victories with six (6-2).
  • The doubles teams of Wheatley/Li (6-0) and Emilee Astle/Kendall Kovick (4-0) are undefeated in doubles.
  • Huang and Kaavya Sawhney's doubles record stands at 6-2 for the year, tied for the team lead in doubles victories.
  • Huang is currently the No. 71 ranked singles player nationally.
  • BYU is ranked No. 45 in the country. 
  • The Cougars have won four matches in a row.

UCF Notes:

  • The Knights are 3-5, recently winning against North Florida and Bethune-Cookman last Sunday.
  • They finished last season with an 11-12 record, with seven of those victories at home.
  • Under the direction of Bryan Koniecko, the team reached the AAC Tournament finals and earned its fifth straight NCAA Tournament berth last season.
  • Sophia Biolay is currently the No. 121 ranked singles player nationally.
  • UCF is ranked No. 59 in the country.

Series Information:

UCF leads the series 1-0.

The last meeting ended with a 4-0 victory for the Knights on March 17, 2022, in Orlando.

Houston Notes:

  • The Cougars are 1-5 this year, with two losses against UTSA and UT Arlington last week.
  • Houston went 14-9 last season, with eight wins at home.
  • The team is led by Helena Besovic, who is in her sixth season leading the program. 
  • Houston finished third in the AAC last season.

Series Information:

BYU leads the series 3-0.

The last meeting ended with a 4-1 victory for BYU on March 7, 2020, in Houston.