Cougars claim 4-1 victory against Portland in first WCC match of the season

PROVO, Utah – The BYU women’s tennis team extended its undefeated record at home to four, after a 4-1 victory over West Coast Conference foe Portland on Friday.

"The girls took care of business today," Head Coach Holly Parkinson Hasler said. "We are improving with growth mindsets, and we are getting better every day. Tomorrow will be the tough one, but with belief anything is possible."

With the win, the Cougars are now 7-4, 1-0 on the season and are on a four-match win streak at home, while the Pilots have a 6-5, 1-1 season record.

Polina Malykh claimed another win in No. 3 singles, enhancing her winning streak to eight and putting her at 9-2 on the season with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Marija Elenova. The No. 2 and No. 3 doubles teams both notched wins, adding to their winning records; Malykh and Madeline Almeida improved to a 6-2 record with a commanding win against Portland's Lourdes Ramalle and Emily Soares, 6-2. Taylah Beckman and Samantha Smith are now 7-2 on the season with 6-3 victory over the Pilots' Angela Schuster and Laura Okazaki.

The Cougars’ Anastasia Abramyan and Kate Cusick left a No. 1 doubles match unfinished in the lead, 5-4.

Portland picked up its first point in the match when BYU’s Katie Fitt fell to Portland’s Ramalle, 0-6, 0-6 in No. 4 singles. However, the Cougars came back to claim the next three singles points in the No. 2, No. 3 and No. 5 positions. BYU’s Cusick won her match 6-4, 6-2 against the Pilots’ Soares. In a race to see who would finish next, the Cougars’ Madeline Almeida finished first with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over the Pilots’ Schuster.

BYU’s Abramyan left an unfinished No. 1 singles battle in the third set 4-6, 7-5, 1-3, while the Cougars’ Smith was up at the No. 6 singles spot with a 6-2, 5-2 edge before the league match ended.

The Cougars continue their home stretch with a match against in-state foe Utah in the Deseret First Duel on Saturday, March 16, at 3 p.m. MDT at the Indoor Tennis Courts. A live stream and stats can be found on the women’s tennis schedule page.

Doubles

1. Kate Cusick/Anastasia Abramyan (BYU) vs. Jelena Lukic/Anna Oberg (POR) 5-4, unfinished
2. Madeline Almeida/Polina Malykh (BYU) def. Lourdes Ramalles/Emily Soares (POR) 6-2
3. Taylah Beckman/Samantha Smith (BYU) def. Angela Schuster/Laura Okazaki (POR) 6-3

Singles

1. Anastasia Abramyan (BYU) vs. Jelena Lukic (POR) 4-6, 7-5, 1-3, unfinished
2. Kate Cusick (BYU) def. Emily Soares (POR) 6-4, 6-2
3. Polina Malykh (BYU) def. Marija Elenova (POR) 6-3, 6-2
4. Lourdes Ramalle (POR) def. Katie Fitt (BYU) 6-0, 6-0
5. Madeline Almeida (BYU) def. Angela Schuster (POR) 6-2, 6-1
6. Samantha Smith (BYU) vs. Anna Oberg (POR) 6-2, 5-2 unfinished