TEMPE -- It was a tough beginning to the weekend for the BYU women's tennis team. The Cougars fell 4-3 to Louisville in Arizona Friday. With the loss, the squad falls to 4-8 on the season.

"It was another down to the wire, tough match," BYU coach Joey Johnson said.

BYU tallied a doubles sweep to begin the match. McCall Jones and Kristina Doerr defeated their Cardinal challengers 8-2 on court one. Elle Carney and Chie Hayasaka recorded a win at the No. 2 spot while Romina Nedakovic and Liza Ezhova completed the sweep at the No. 3 position.

"We played quite well in doubles," Johnson said. "We had the momentum going into singles play."

Jones extended her winning streak to eight with a straight-set victory over Sarah Miller on court one. The rest of the BYU lineup was unable to keep up, falling at positions three through six to give Louisville the win. Doerr was the only other Cougar to notch a victory on the day. The senior easily took the first set 6-0 but dropped the second 6-2. She fought back to win the third, also at 6-2, and ended the match at 4-3.

"Louisville had steady, solid singles players in the back of the lineup," Johnson said. "Tomorrow is another opportunity to turn it around so we're going to get out there and go for it."

Saturday BYU will continue play against No. 18 Arizona State at 10 a.m. The match will take place at the Whiteman Tennis Center.

Results
BYU-3
Louisville-4
Doubles
1. Doerr/Jones (BYU) def. Brown/Harris (UofL) 8-2
2. Carney/Hayasaka (BYU) def. Noe/Villajuan (UofL) 8-6
3. Ezhova/Nedakovic (BYU) def. Mandry/Van Aerde (UofL) 8-5
Singles
1. No. 52 M. Jones (BYU) def. S. Miller (UofL) 6-2, 6-1
2. K. Doerr (BYU) def. A. Harris (UofL) 6-0, 2-6, 6-2
3. M. Brown (UofL) def. R. Nedakovic (BYU) 6-0, 6-4
4. K. Mandry (UofL) def. C. Hayasaka (BYU) 6-1, 6-1
5. A. Irvin (UofL) def. E. Carney (BYU) 6-3, 6-2
6. S. Villajuan (UofL) def. L. Ezhova (BYU) 6-1, 6-1

PROVO -- After traveling to Idaho last week, the BYU women’s tennis team will head south to take on Louisville and No. 18 Arizona State this weekend. The Cougars will play both matches in Tempe, Ariz.

“What we’re working toward is more consistency from the lineup, top to bottom,” BYU coach Joey Johnson said. “We want everybody playing to their potential.”

Last week, BYU fell to No. 46 Boise State 5-2. McCall Jones and Megan Price were the only players to get wins on the day, recording a pairs victory together and a singles win apiece. The sophomore duo moved to No. 26 in the rankings and Jones now sits at the No. 53 spot in singles.

“We’re on the cusp,” Johnson said. “Our challenge is to show we can compete at every position on a deeper level.”

Louisville will challenge BYU Friday in the first-ever meeting between the two teams. The 7-4 Cardinals are coming off a 6-1 win over Cincinnati and have no players currently in the rankings.

Saturday the Cougars will face 9-2 Arizona State. The Sun Devils shot to No. 18 in the rankings after a 4-3 upset of then-No. 13 USC. BYU and ASU last played in 1992 when the Sun Devils came out on the winning end of a 9-0 decision. Kelcy McKenna is the only ranked ASU player, coming in at No. 78. The Sun Devils also have two ranked doubles teams at No. 68 and No. 69.

“Arizona State is a great team, and it will be a tough match,” Johnson said. “I’m excited to see if we can rise to the occasion. We have the skill if we can put it together as a group.”

In the fall, Cougars Kristina Doerr and Jones faced opponents from Arizona State at the Cal Berkeley Invitational. Doerr fell to McKenna in the first round and Jones defeated Ashlee Brown 6-4, 6-0. Jones and partner Megan Price also beat Brown and Sianna Simmons 8-2 in doubles at the same tournament.

First serve Friday is set for 1: 30 p.m. and Saturday’s match begins at 10 a.m. Both matches will take place at the Whiteman Tennis Center.