First Day of Mountain Region Championships

LAS VEGAS – Two Cougars advance to the third round after the first day of the ITA Mountain Region Championships in Las Vegas.

Sophomore Desiree Tran will face No. 4 seeded Michelle Okhremchuk of Nevada in the third round Thursday. Freshman Morgan Anderson challenges instate rival Utah’s Anastasia Putilina in her third round matchup. Putilina is the top seed in the tournament.

Eight Cougars competed in the first round of the tournament Wednesday, with half advancing to see second round action.

Anderson moved past Northern Arizona’s Ghizelle Doballah, 6-3, 6-1 in her first round matchup. Junior Andie Young topped Ellie Crum of Montana State, 6-2, 6-4. Junior Aubrey Paul advanced after a first round bye while Tran defeated Idaho’s Molly Knox, 6-4, 6-3.

Montana’s Precious Gbadamosi upset BYU’s No. 8 seeded Megan Price in the first round. Senior Price pushed the match to three sets but fell to Gbadamosi, 1-6, 6-4, 7-6.

Anderson saw action against Denver’s Gabriella Bobac in the second round, where she topped Bobac, 6-4, 6-4. Tran competed in a close three-set thriller against Heather Davidson of Montana in her second round showdown. Tran slipped past Davidson, 7-6, 5-7, 7-5, to secure a spot in the third round.

Along with the third round of singles, doubles action will kick off Thursday.

Tran and freshman Lisa Waldron will pair up for BYU in doubles action. Anderson and Paul will form another Cougar duo along with Price and freshman Meghan Sheenhan-Dizon teaming up. The fourth doubles pair to compete for BYU is Young and sophomore Kelsie Craig.

More than 120 women’s collegiate tennis players from 19 schools will showcase their talent this weekend during the ITA Mountain Region Championships. The singles and doubles champions will advance to the USTA/ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships Nov. 3 – 6 in Flushing, N.Y.

For more information on the tournament, click here. 

FIRST ROUND

Morgan Anderson (BYU) def. Ghizelle Doballah (Northern Arizona) 6-3, 6-1

Andie Young (BYU) def. Ellie Crum (MSU) 6-2, 6-4

Sasa Nemcova (WYO) def. Meghan Sheehan-Dizon (BYU) 6-3, 6-4

Hannah Dake (AFA) def. Lisa Waldron (BYU) 6-0, 6-0

Aubrey Paul (BYU) BYE

Precious Gbadamosi (UM) def. Megan Price (8) (BYU) 1-6, 6-4, 7-6

Lauren Mulhern (CSU) def. Kelsie Craig (BYU) 6-0, 6-3

Desiree Tran (BYU) def. Molly Knox (ID) 6-4, 6-3

SECOND ROUND

Morgan Anderson (BYU) def. Gabriella Bobac (DU) 6-4, 6-4

Nives Pavlovic (9) (UNLV) def. Andie Young (BYU) 6-0, 6-1

Simona Synkova (17-24) (WYO) def. Aubrey Paul (BYU) 6-0, 6-3

Desiree Tran (BYU) def. Heather Davidson (UM) 7-6, 5-7, 7-5