PROVO, Utah — No. 51 BYU women's tennis defeated No. 54 TCU 4-3 Saturday afternoon for its second consecutive victory, completing a Big 12 two-match homestand sweep at the Outdoor Tennis Courts.
"What a great weekend for our team! It’s so fun to watch these women believe in themselves and continue to grow in every match we play," said assistant coach Gabby Curtis. "For the doubles point, we learned from Thursday and came out today with an intentional focus on our plan. We executed well, and that was huge momentum for us going into singles. Singles play was a battle like we knew it would be, but the toughness our players have worked hard to develop made the difference today. I’m so proud of the grit I am seeing from every individual on this team and the belief that has come from persistence and discipline. This is fun! Go Cougs!"
The Cougars improved to 14-4 overall and 6-3 in Big 12 play with the win. BYU earned its fourth victory of the season over a ranked opponent and has now won two consecutive matches. The Cougars' six conference victories in 2024 are tied for the most conference victories in a season under head coach Holly Hasler since she began leading the program in 2018. BYU still has four conference matches remaining this season.
Maddy Smith secured the match for BYU in consecutive matches with a 2-6, 6-1, 6-1 win over Helena Narmont, improving her season singles record to 5-2.
No. 87 Bobo Huang improved to 13-3 for the year in singles with her 6-3, 6-1 victory over Jade Otway.
Kara Wheatley's 6-4, 6-3 victory over Yu-Chin Tsai secured her ninth singles victory of the season. Wheatley's win brought the Cougars within one point of victory before Smith clinched the match.
In doubles, No. 40 Emilee Astle and Kendall Kovick picked up a 6-2 victory for their seventh doubles victory as a tandem this season. Huang and Kaavya Sawhney secured the doubles point for BYU with their 6-1 victory, lifting them to their 12th victory together this season.
Doubles:
- No. 40 Astle/Kovick (BYU) def. Tsai/Mushika (TCU), 6-2
- Huang/Sawhney (BYU) def. Otway/Pascual (TCU), 6-1
- Li/Wheatley (BYU) uf. Martins/Narmont (TCU), 4-3
The order of finish was 1, 2
Astle and Kovick secured the first doubles victory for BYU before Huang and Sawhney's victory clinched the doubles point for the Cougars, giving BYU a 1-0 lead heading into singles.
Singles:
- No. 87 Bobo Huang (BYU) def. Jade Otway (TCU), 6-3, 6-1
- No. 121 Destinee Martins (TCU) def. Tina Li (BYU), 6-4, 6-3
- Isabel Pascual (TCU) def. Kendall Kovick (BYU), 6-3, 6-2
- Kara Wheatley (BYU) def. Yu-Chin Tsai (TCU), 6-4, 6-3
- Raquel Caballero (TCU) def. Emilee Astle (BYU), 2-6, 6-2, 6-1
- Maddy Smith (BYU) def. Helena Narmont (TCU), 2-6, 6-1, 6-1
The order of finish was 1, 3, 2, 4, 5, 6
Huang jumped ahead 3-2 before winning the first set 6-3. In the second set, she led 3-0 and eventually won 6-1, securing the Cougars' first singles victory of the afternoon and extending BYU's lead to 2-0.
Kovick fell behind 2-1 before Pascual won the first set 6-3. In the second set, Pascual came out on top 6-2, giving TCU its first point of the day.
Tina Li quickly led 2-1 before she and Martins were tied at 4-4. Martins won the first set 6-4. In the second set, Martins hung on for the victory, winning 6-3 and evening the overall match score at 2-2.
Wheatley led 2-1 before extending her lead to 4-1 and winning the first set 6-4. In the second set, Wheatley won 6-3, pushing the Cougars ahead 3-2.
Astle led 2-1 and later 3-2 before winning the first set 6-2. In the second set, Astle fell behind 4-2 before Caballero won the second and third sets, tying the overall match score at 3-3.
Smith trailed 2-1 before Narmont won the first set 6-2. In the second set, Smith jumped ahead 3-0 and won 6-1, forcing a third set. With the overall match on the line, Smith took a 4-1 lead in the third set and won 6-1, clinching the overall match for BYU in two consecutive matches.
The Cougars will hit the road for a two-match road trip beginning in Oklahoma to face the No. 22 Sooners at 4 p.m. MDT Thursday before they head to Texas for a matchup with the No. 7 Longhorns on Saturday.