PROVO, Utah – The BYU women’s tennis team beat UC Irvine 7-0, claiming its second sweep of the season in its home match on Thursday.

“It was great to have an outside match in Provo today,” Head Coach Holly Parkinson Hasler said. “We needed this before our away match in San Diego on Saturday. It’s always an adjustment to move outside, and I was proud of how hard the girls fought today.”

Polina Malykh extended her No. 3 doubles winning streak to 11 matches after her win against UC Irvine. BYU is now 9-5 on the season with a 2-0 WCC record.

The Cougars took a 1-0 advantage after claiming the doubles point against the Anteaters. At No. 2 doubles, Malykh and Madeline Almeida downed UC Irvine’s Jacqueline Tsodikova and Arianna Tilbury, 6-1. However, the Anteaters responded by taking the No. 3 doubles point over BYU’s Samantha Smith and Taylah Beckman, 3-6.

Coming down to the No. 1 doubles point, the Cougars’ Kate Cusick and Anastasia Abramyan battled for a tight 7-6 (7-5) victory over UC Irvine’s Flora Amiri and Jessica Tsukiji.

BYU then took the next three singles matches in a row to claim the victory. In No. 5 singles, the Cougars’ Smith quickly defeated UC Irvine’s Tilbury 6-0, 6-1. The next victory came in No. 6 singles by freshman Alina Menshykova, taking a 6-1, 6-3 win over the Anteaters’ Tsodikova. To maintain her 11-match win streak, the Cougars’ Malykh clinched the match with a 6-0, 5-7, 6-0 win over Tsukiji in the No. 3 position.

To finish out the match, BYU also took wins in No. 1, No. 2 and No. 4 singles. The Cougars’ Cusick claimed a three-set tiebreaker, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-1), against Nguyen. BYU’s Abramyan finished next in a third-set 10 point tie-breaker, 6-7 (5-7), 7-5, 10-7 against Amiri. Lastly, the Cougars’ Almeida finished in another close match against the Anteaters’ Fossorier 4-6, 6-2, 6-2.

The Cougars hit the road on Saturday, Mar. 30, at 12 p.m. PDT to compete against No. 37 San Diego at the Hogan Tennis Center.

Doubles

1. Kate Cusick/Anastasia Abramyan (BYU) def. Flora Amiri/Jessica Tsukiji (UCI) 7-6 (7-5)
2. Madeline Almeida/Polina Malykh (BYU) def. Jacqueline Tsodikova/Arianna Tilbury (UCI) 6-1
3. Stephanie Nguyen/Alyssia Fossorier (UCI) def. Taylah Beckman/Samantha Smith (BYU) 6-3

Singles

1. Kate Cusick (BYU) def. Stephanie Nguyen (UCI) 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-1)
2. Anastasia Abramyan (BYU) def. Flora Amiri (UCI) 6-7 (5-7), 7-5, 10-7 (10 point tie-breaker)
3. Polina Malykh (BYU) def. Jessica Tsukiji (UCI) 6-0, 5-7, 6-0
4. Madeline Almeida (BYU) def. Alyssia Fossorier (UCI) 4-6, 6-2, 6-2
5. Samantha Smith (BYU) def. Arianna Tilbury (UCI) 6-0, 6-1
6. Alina Menshykova (BYU) def. Jacqueline Tsodikova (UCI) 6-1, 6-3

PROVO, Utah – This week the BYU women's tennis team takes on UC Irvine for the first time ever at home and then hits the road to take on WCC foe No. 39 San Diego.

Matches against U.C. Irvine will take place on Thursday, Mar. 28, at 12 p.m. MDT at the Outdoor Tennis Courts, weather permitting. Live video feed and live stats will be available on the women’s tennis schedule page. On Saturday, the Cougars will take on the Toreros at 12 p.m. PDT at the Hogan Tennis Center.

BYU

The Cougars are on a 2-0 win streak in WCC play after notching wins over Portland and Gonzaga; their overall season record is now 8-5. Junior Polina Malykh continues a 10-match win streak while doubles duo Taylah Beckman and Samantha Smith maintain a six match win streak.

UC Irvine

The Anteaters hold a 12-5 season record after a loss to Eastern Washington last week. The Cougars hold a 1-2 all-time record with UC Irvine. This will be the first matchup between BYU and UC Irvine to take place in Provo.

No. 39 San Diego

The Toreros are on an 11 game win streak, holding an 11-2 season record. The Cougars hold an even 4-4 record with San Diego, looking to take the advantage in this week’s matchup.

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