Women's Tennis 2023-24 Season Review

BYU women's tennis wrapped up its inaugural season in the Big 12 Conference by returning to the NCAA Tournament and celebrating several individual and team accomplishments.

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PROVO, Utah — BYU women's tennis wrapped up its inaugural season in the Big 12 Conference by returning to the NCAA Tournament and celebrating several individual and team accomplishments.

“Our first season in the Big 12 was a huge success. It provided us with challenging opportunities, and we continuously rose to the occasion,” said head coach Holly Hasler. “We accomplished many firsts, and it was fun to see hard work pay off, little by little. As a team, we went into the year with a mindset of growth and consistency, and by the end, we were a completely different team from the beginning. It’s a huge confidence builder going forward, and I’m excited to see what the future holds for this team.”

The Cougars ended the season with a 17-8 record, including an 8-5 record in Big 12 play. This performance secured the fifth seed in the 2024 Big 12 Women's Tennis Championship, where BYU defeated No. 12 seed Iowa State 4-0 in the first round. The team also made an appearance in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2007, highlighting a successful 2024 season. 

Bobo Huang received All-Conference honors in singles and was named a co-champion of the No. 1 singles position. Emilee Astle and Kendall Kovick also earned conference honors in doubles, making the second-team list. In January, Huang was named Big 12 Player of the Week, the only nomination for BYU this season.

The team's 17 victories mark its most in a season since 2007, and the eight Big 12 victories are the most conference wins in a season under head coach Hasler. The Cougars finished the year with a 7-1 record at home and claimed four victories over nationally ranked teams: No. 59 UCF, No. 65 Kansas State, No. 31 Baylor, and No. 54 TCU.

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Fast Facts

  • Overall Record: 17-8
  • Big 12: 8-5
  • Home: 7-1
  • Away: 6-5
  • Neutral: 4-2
  • Big 12 finish: 5th, eliminated in the second round of conference tournament by Texas Tech
  • NCAA Tournament appearance: eliminated in the first round by Auburn

Big 12 Results

BYU was dominant at home in conference play, finishing 5-1. The team's only home conference loss came against No. 1 Oklahoma State, with the Cougars falling 5-2 in a competitive match against the country's top team. In doubles against the Cowgirls, Astle and Kovick secured a doubles upset by defeating the No. 5 nationally ranked team of Anastasiya Komar and Ange Oby Kajuru, 6-2.

BYU's standout win was over No. 31 Baylor on March 28. After the Cougars and Bears were tied 3-3, junior Maddy Smith clinched the match for BYU at the packed Indoor Tennis Courts, bringing fans to their feet. The Cougars' historic first victory in the Big 12 was a quick 5-2 decision over No. 59 UCF in Orlando on Feb. 29, in the team's first match in the league.

BYU also defeated Houston, Kansas State, Iowa State, TCU, Cincinnati and West Virginia in league matches. Among newcomers, the Cougars finished ahead of UCF, Cincinnati and Houston in the Big 12 standings in the team's first year in the conference.

23-24wTEN vs Baylor 2723-24wTEN vs Baylor 27 23-24wTEN vs Baylor March 28, 2024 Photo by Christi Norris/BYU © BYU PHOTO 2024 All Rights Reserved photo@byu.edu (801)422-7322 Model United Nations students

Nonconference Success

BYU went 8-1 in nonconference play, highlighted by defeating teams from the Pac-12, SEC, and Big Ten conferences, Arizona, Missouri, and Michigan State. 

The Cougars defeated in-state opponent Utah State 5-2 on Feb. 2 in Logan, securing BYU's eighth straight victory over the Aggies. They also downed Colorado State 6-1 in Provo on Feb. 17 after falling to the Rams 4-3 in Fort Collins last season. 

23-24wTEN vs Colorado State 02223-24wTEN vs Colorado State 022 23-24wTEN vs Colorado State BYU Defeats CSU 6-1 for a Second Victory in the season February 17, 2024 Photo by Ashlee Jarvis/BYU © BYU PHOTO 2024 All Rights Reserved photo@byu.edu (801)422-7322

Individual Successes

Big 12 Weekly Honors

  • Bobo Huang - Singles Player of the Week (January 9)

Emilee Astle

  • Senior Captain
  • 9-5 in singles, 10-10 in doubles
  • Nationally ranked No. 41 in doubles with Kovick
  • Defeated No. 5 Oklahoma State in doubles
  • Finishes BYU career 49-37 in singles and 55-33 in doubles
  • Big 12 Second Team Doubles
  • College Sports Communicators Academic All-District

Bobo Huang

  • Junior Captain 
  • 16-6 in singles, 16-4 in doubles
  • Finished season first in singles victories and second in doubles wins on the team
  • Three ranked singles victories
  • Played every singles match in the No. 1 position
  • Nationally ranked No. 124 in singles
  • Big 12 Co-Champion of the No. 1 singles position
  • Big 12 Second Team Singles

Kendall Kovick

  • 11-9 in singles, 9-7 in doubles
  • Tied for second on the team in singles victories
  • Mainly played No. 3 singles
  • Two ranked singles wins
  • Nationally ranked No. 41 in doubles with Astle
  • Defeated No. 5 Oklahoma State in doubles
  • Big 12 Second Team Doubles

Tina Li

  • 11-8 in singles, 12-5 in doubles
  • Fourth on the team in doubles victories
  • Mainly played No. 2 singles
  • College Sports Communicators Academic All-District
23-24wTEN vs Cincinnati 01423-24wTEN vs Cincinnati 014 23-24wTEN vs Cincinnati April 11, 2024 Photo by Aaron Cornia/BYU © BYU PHOTO 2024 All Rights Reserved photo@byu.edu (801)422-7322

Kaavya Sawhney

  • 5-8 in singles, 17-4 in doubles
  • First on the team in doubles victories
  • Mainly played No. 2 doubles
  • College Sports Communicators Academic All-District

Maddy Smith

  • 7-3 in singles, 2-1 in doubles 
  • Clinched the match victories for the Cougars over No. 31 Baylor and No. 54 TCU
  • Played every singles match in the No. 6 position

Kara Wheatley

  • 10-10 in singles, 14-5 in doubles
  • Third on the team in doubles victories
  • Mainly played No. 4 singles and No. 3 doubles
  • College Sports Communicators Academic All-District

BYU will look to replicate its inaugural season success in the Big 12 by aiming to make the NCAA Tournament in 2025, marking back-to-back seasons of punching a ticket to the big dance since the Cougars last did it in 2006-07.