PROVO, Utah – Despite a hard-fought effort, BYU women's tennis fell 4-0 against Pepperdine on Friday in Provo.

"Pepperdine is a really good team and tough to play," BYU head coach Lauren Jones-Spencer said. "I was proud of the way we came out in singles and fought hard. Both Savannah and Natella played well today so hopefully we'll be able to continue that tomorrow against LMU."

The Waves (15-4, 6-0 West Coast Conference) dominated in the doubles competition winning first on court three and clinching the doubles point on court one to take an early 1-0 lead.

In singles competition, BYU (7-10, 2-3 WCC) struggled to find an answer to Pepperdine's quick start. The Waves' Dzina Milovanovic was first off the courts with a 6-1, 6-0 win at the No. 6 slot over BYU's Alana Bourgeois. Mayar Sherif Ahmed won next for Pepperdine with a 6-1, 6-2 win at third singles over the Cougars' Samantha Smith. With the score at 3-0, Apichaya Runglerdkriangkrai clinched the match with a 6-3, 6-3 win at fifth singles over Demi Perkinson of BYU.

The Cougars play the final home match of the season on Saturday at noon MDT against LMU. Admission is free to the public and free pizza will be served. 

Pepperdine University 4, BYU 0

Singles Competition

1. Savannah Ware-Avina (BYU) vs. Stefani, Luisa (PEP) 5-7, 0-3, unfinished

2. Natella Nabieva (BYU) vs. Lahey, Ashley (PEP) 2-6, 3-4, unfinished

3. Sherif Ahmed, Mayar (PEP) def. Samantha Smith (BYU) 6-1, 6-2

4. Taylah Beckman (BYU) vs. Gulbe, Laura (PEP) 2-6, 2-5, unfinished

5. Runglerdkriangkrai,A (PEP) def. Demi Perkinson (BYU) 6-3, 6-3

6. Milovanovic, Dzina (PEP) def. Alana Bourgeois (BYU) 6-1, 6-0

Doubles Competition

1. Stefani, Luisa/Lahey, Ashley (PEP) def. Savannah Ware-Avina/Natella Nabieva (BYU) 6-2

2. Samantha Smith/Kate Cusick (BYU) vs. Sherif Ahmed, Mayar/Runglerdkriangkrai,A (PEP) 1-4, unfinished

3. Maddox, Christine/Milovanovic, Dzina (PEP) def. Demi Perkinson/Taylah Beckman (BYU) 6-1

Order of finish: Doubles (3,1); Singles (6,3,5)

PROVO, Utah – Following a road victory over Pacific, BYU women's tennis returns to Provo this weekend for its final two home matches of the season. 

The Cougars (7-9, 2-2 West Coast Conference) first host No. 17 Pepperdine (13-4, 5-0 WCC) on Friday, April 14 at noon MDT and face Loyola Marymount University (10-7, 2-3 WCC) on Saturday, April 15 at noon. Both matches will be played at the BYU tennis courts. 

BYU is led by seniors Savannah Ware-Avina, Natella Nabieva and Demi Perkinson, who will be playing in the final home matches of their careers. Senior Mayci Jones will also be honored as well. The Cougars look to continue their winning momentum, having won four of the last five matches, including a 4-1 win over Pacific last weekend in which Nabieva clinched the victory. BYU currently sits in the fifth spot in the WCC standings and looks to secure a berth in the WCC tournament. 

Pepperdine remains perfect in WCC play with a 5-0 record including recent wins over San Francisco and Santa Clara. The Waves will attempt to extend an eight-match winning streak and are led by Luisa Stefani who holds a No. 9 national singles ranking. In addition to Stefani, three other Waves' players hold national rankings including Ashley Lahey at No. 21, Mayar Sherif Ahmed at No. 32 and Laura Gulbe at the No. 103 singles position. Sherif Ahmed also holds a No. 6 doubles ranking along with teammate Christine Maddox. 

LMU looks to rebound after a 4-2 conference loss against Santa Clara. The Lions are in eighth place and have lost three of the past five matches with a 2-3 road record on the season. Prior to Saturday's match, LMU will travel to take on San Diego.

Live stats will be available on the BYU schedule page. Admission is free to the public and free pizza will be provided.