TULSA -- The No 22-ranked BYU womenýs tennis team blasted past the 50th-seeded Tulsa womenýs team 5-2 in the first of three Oklahoma duals.
Scoring big for the Cougars was freshman Sofia Holden. At the No. 2 doubles spot, Holden teamed with Rebecca Pike to push past Donata Majauskaite and Lisette Pereira in a 9-7 decision. Holden also won at the No. 2 singles position, easily defeating Tulsaýs Majauskaite 6-4, 6-2.
"Sofia was just awesome today," head coach Craig Manning said. "She did fantastic in doubles and seemed to have a great rhythm in singles."
Also posting wins for BYU in doubles were Olga Boulytcheva and Nicole Schneider. Schneider, an Australian native, is undefeated in doubles play this season.
In singles action, the Cougars got wins from Holden, Lauren Jones, Boulytcheva, and Hadley Macfarlane at positions one through four. Five of the six singles matches were all pushed to three sets.
"Our girls just played so tough today," Manning said. "We wore them down. Those three-set matches are tough, but Iým really proud of our girls for sticking in it."
The Cougars next face No. 70-ranked Oklahoma State on Monday and the No. 34 Sooners of Oklahoma on Tuesday respectively.
BYU 5, Tulsa 2Doubles -
#46 Muscolino/Somers (Tulsa) def. #34 Macfarlane/Zahnova (BYU), 8-4
Holden/Pike (BYU) def. Majauskaite/Pereira (Tulsa), 9-7
Boulytcheva/Schneider (BYU) def. Buhagiar/Grimes (Tulsa), 8-4
BYU wins doubles point
Singles -
#70 Daniela Muscolino (Tulsa) def. #39 Barbora Zahnova (BYU), 6-4, 3-6, 6-2
Sofia Holden (BYU) def. Donata Majauskaite (Tulsa), 6-4, 6-2
Lauren Jones (BYU) def. Ilona Somers (Tulsa), 3-6, 6-3, 6-3
Olga Boulytcheva (BYU) def. Lisette Pereira (Tulsa), 6-3, 5-7, 11-9
Hadley Macfarlane (BYU) def. Zoe Buhagiar (Tulsa), 5-7, 6-4, 6-1
Santie Delport (Tulsa) def. Nicole Schneider (BYU), 7-5, 0-6, 6-3
PROVO -- As mid-season approaches, the BYU men's and women's tennis teams are both heading to Oklahoma this weekend to face the University of Tulsa, Oklahoma State and Oklahoma. The men's team is 1-8 on the season and the women are 9-3 respectively.
The men's tennis team has had its ups and downs this season. With matches against the nations top ranked teams on the road, the Cougars have had some tight matches and turned some heads in the process. Nearly defeating No. 9 UCLA a couple of weeks ago, BYU has gained valuable experience and hope to turn that experience into some wins this week on the road.
On Friday, the men will face NO. 19 Oklahoma State in Stillwater, Okla., followed by an equally challenging match against the 53rd-ranked University of Tulsa on Saturday March 6th in Tulsa.
Posting impressive wins over some of the NCAA's top tennis teams, the women's team has defeated No. 13 USC and No. 32 College of William and Mary, both of which in the ITA National Indoor Championship in Madison, Wis., where the Cougars placed 5th overall.
The women's team will first compete along side the BYU men on Saturday against the 50th-ranked Golden Hurricane of Tulsa. Following the match in Tulsa, the Cougars will travel to Stillwater, Okla., to face No. 70 Oklahoma State on Monday and then to Norman, Okla. to take on the University of Oklahoma (No. 34).
The last time the Cougars met the Oklahoma team was in the Regional Championship in Salt Lake City where BYU won in a 6-2 decision, securing its trip to the National Indoor Championship.
For score updates and results for the Tulsa match click here.
