FRESNO, Calif. – The BYU women’s tennis team took a close 4-3 loss to Fresno State, coming down to a three-set match in No. 1 singles, on Monday.

"Today's match was a disappointing loss," Head Coach Holly Parkinson Hasler said. "We fought until the end and just didn't get any lucky breaks. It will be important to rest up this week and keep our heads up going into our next home match this Friday."

In singles, Polina Malykh and Kate Cusick extended their winning streaks to 3-0 and 2-0, respectively. In No. 3 doubles Taylah Beckman and Samantha Smith notched another win, improving their season record to 6-2. The Cougars are now 5-4 on the season while the Bulldogs hold a 6-5 record.

The Cougars started off on a good note, winning No. 2 and No. 3 doubles to take the advantage, 1-0. Malykh and Madeline Almeida won their match against Fresno’s Ella Husrefovic and Deniza Marcinkevica, 6-3. After a 2-6 Cougar loss in No.1 doubles for Cusick and Anastasia Abramyan, Samantha Smith and Taylah Beckman clinched the doubles point, 6-3, in their match against the Bulldogs’ Shir Azran and A.C. Hummel.

Moving into singles, Almeida suffered a 0-6, 2-6 loss in No. 5 singles against Fresno’s Azran. However, the Cougars came back to win the next two matches. Malykh secured a 6-3, 6-0 win against the Bulldogs’ Marcinkevica in No. 3 singles, while BYU’s Cusick claimed a win in No. 2 singles, 6-4, 6-1, against Fresno’s Husrefovic.

The Bulldog’s then won the last three matches to claim a slim 4-3 victory over the Cougars. In No. 4 singles, BYU’s Smith fell to Fresno’s Hummel 4-6, 0-6. Beckman battled to win the first set in the No. 6 position, but ultimately fell 6-4, 0-6, 6-7 to the Bulldogs’ Georgia Lawson. In No. 1 singles, Abramyan fought to take the second set, but also dropped the match 6-7, 6-3, 5-7 to Fresno’s Jennifer Timotin.

The Cougars return for their first home match since February to play against Utah State on Friday, March 8 at 10 a.m. MST at the Indoor Tennis Courts. Live video and live stats will be available on the women’s tennis schedule page. Free admission and free pizza will be offered to all in attendance.

Doubles

1. Georgia Lawson/Jennifer Timotin (FS) def. Kate Cusick/Anastasia Abramyan (BYU) 6-2
2. Polina Malykh/Madeline Almeida (BYU) def. Ella Husrefovic/Deniza Marcinkevica (FS) 6-3
3. Samantha Smith/Taylah Beckman (BYU) def. Shir Azran/A.C. Hummel (FS) 6-3

Singles

1. Jennifer Timotin (FS) def. Anastasia Abramyan (BYU) 7-6, 3-6, 7-5
2. Kate Cusick (BYU) def. Ella Husrefovic (FS) 6-4, 6-1
3. Polina Malykh (BYU) def. Deniza Marcinkevica (FS) 6-3, 6-0
4. A.C. Hummel (FS) def. Samantha Smith (BYU) 6-4, 6-0
5. Shir Azran (FS) def. Madeline Almeida 6-0, 6-2
6. Georgia Lawson (FS) def. Taylah Beckman (BYU) 4-6, 6-0, 7-6

Order of Finish

Doubles: 2, 1, 3

Singles: 5, 3, 2, 4, 6, 1

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PROVO, Utah – BYU women’s tennis continues its road trip, playing next against Arizona, UNLV and Fresno State.

Matches begin against Arizona on Friday, March 1, at noon MST at the Robson Tennis Center. The Cougars will then compete against UNLV on Saturday, March 2, at 10 a.m. MST at the same venue. On Monday, March 4, at 11 a.m. PST BYU will battle Fresno State at the Spalding G. Wathen Tennis Center.

BYU

BYU is 4-2 on the season after suffering a 5-1 loss to No. 15 Washington State and then beating Seattle University 4-3. Doubles duo Samantha Smith and Taylah Beckman took another win against Seattle last weekend, increasing their season record to 5-1.

Arizona

The Wildcats (5-3) went 2-0 last weekend in a doubleheader defeating Sacramento State and Liberty University. BYU holds a 0-3 all-time record against Arizona, and looks to take its first win against Arizona this weekend.

UNLV

The Rebels (8-2) recorded wins last weekend against UC Riverside and Colorado State. The Cougars hold the advantage in their all-time record with UNLV, 10-5.

Fresno State

The Bulldogs (3-5) took two losses last weekend against No. 37 Auburn and Yale. BYU has an all-time 1-6 standing against Fresno.

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Twitter: @BYUWTennis

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