Cougars Beat the Broncos

PROVO -- For its second consecutive win of the season the BYU women's tennis team (No. 45) beat the Boise State Broncos (No. 59) 6-1. The win puts the Cougars at 2-0 on the season while the Broncos fall to 0-1.

From the start, the Cougars had a tough time putting each match away.

"Coming into this, we knew their [BSU] No. 1 and two players were tough," head coach Craig Manning said. "I told Barbora to play smart because their top seed could turn it on any time."

In doubles action No. 1 seed Cougar duo (Barbora Zahnova and Hadley Macfarlane) were down as much as four sets to none against Boise's top seeded Jamima Hayward and Erin Polowski. BYU fought hard to make the come back pushing the match to a 7-7 tie.

With aggressive net play from both Zahnova and Macfarlane in doubles, the two were able to overcome the deficit and go one up on the Broncos with a smart drop shot by Zahnova. Boise came back to force a tiebreaker at eight a piece.

In the doubles tiebreaker the Cougars worked as a true team, both playing especially strong deep, to come back from the 4-0 deficit to defeat the Broncos 8-8 (7-4). The Zahnova/Macfarlane and Oswald/Pike wins scored the first point for the Cougars.

"I thought all the girls came out a bit nervous today," Manning said. "We did pretty good against a great team. We just need to execute a little better."

Scoring the second point for BYU, Zahnova blanked top seeded Hayward of Boise State 6-0, 6-0. In their last meeting Zahnova trounced Hayward in two sets to win the BYU Invitational in singles play.

Other wins from Olga Boulytcheva and Holdan helped seal the win for the Cougars. In a difficult match up, freshman Lauren Jones lost to BSU's Megan Biorkman at the end of a tie breaking set 6-3, 2-6, 6-3.

Late in the event, Oswald and Macfarlane also had key wins to aid in the victory.

BYU vs. BSU
Singles:
Barbora Zahnova (BYU) def. Jamima Hayward (BSU) 	     6-0, 6-0
Sofia Holden (BYU) def. Erin Polowski (BSU)			        1-6, 6-0, 6-4
Olga Boulytcheva (BYU) def. Alissa Ayling (BSU)			    7-6, 6-0
Megan Biorkman (BSU) def. Lauren Jones (BYU) 			      6-3, 2-6, 6-3
Lu Oswald (BYU) def. Tiffany Coll (BSU)			            6-3, 6-3
Hadley Macfarlane (BYU) vs. Carolina Pongratz (BSU) 		6-3, 6-2
Doubles:
Zahnova/Macfarlane (BYU) def. Hayward/Polowski (BSU)		9-8 (7-4)
Ayling/Biorkman (BSU) def. Holden/Schneider (BYU) 		  8-5
Oswald/Pike (BYU) def. Coll/Pongratz (BSU) 			        8-4

PROVO -- The No. 45 BYU women's tennis team (1-0) will be looking for its second consecutive win this week as it plays host to Boise State (No. 59) Saturday at Noon in Provo.

The Cougars dominated the Aggies of Utah State in their season opener last week 7-0. Head coach Craig Manning hopes the outcome against Boise State will also be positive.

"They've (Boise State) got a tough team," Manning said. "Their line up is pretty deep and they're really good at the top. They are a well balanced team."

Manning feels the Cougars are also well balanced and have good depth.

"Our doubles teams are playing really well right now and the new combinations are just awesome," Manning said. "I think playing on our home court gives the girls more confidence. They just need to execute."

A big spark for the team is the return of senior Lu Oswald. Oswald's win last week over USU marks the first time she has competed in the one year.

"Having Lu back is a big plus for our team," Manning said. "She's a great competitor and will be a key for us this season."

Last week coach Manning changed the doubles teams, which proved to be beneficial for the Cougars. Manning teamed Barbora Zahnova and Hadley Macfarlane together and paired Sofia Holden with Nicole Schneider. Combined, both teams tallied the first point for BYU in its first season match against the Aggies.