Cougar women knock off No. 70 Washington State

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After a difficult month in March the BYU women’s tennis team opened up April with an emphatic 4–3 win over No. 70 Washington State at the indoor tennis courts Monday.

“We looked more confident today and had more energy in our matches,” BYU coach Lauren Jones-Spencer said. “The overall attitude and vibe of the team was good today; everyone played really well.”

BYU's Desiree Tran hits returns a serve earlier this season. Tran secured the winning point for BYU Monday in its 4-3 win against Washington State.
BYU’s Desiree Tran returns a serve earlier this season. Tran secured the winning point for BYU Monday in its 4–3 win against Washington State. (Photo by Chris Bunker)

With BYU up 3–2, junior,Desiree Tran gave the Cougars their fourth and final point of the match. She also broke out of her ten-match losing streak with the three-set win over Washington State’s Ksenia Googe.

Tran opened up the first set winning 6-3. In the second set, Googe got off to a 4–0 start and took the second set 6–3. The third set was back and forth with each player holding their serve until Googe broke Tran to go up 5–4. In the next game Tran broke Googe to even the score at 5. Each player would win another game to send the third and final set into a tie-break.

In the tie-break Googe got off to a 3–0 start and eventually took it to 5–2 before Tran began her frantic comeback. Tran evened the score at 5 and then took a 6–5 lead. Googe tied it back up, before Tran ended the match 8–6.

“Desiree fought hard; she won the first set playing well,” Jones-Spencer said. “The third set she stayed with it and came back to pull out a win.”

BYU sophomore Morgan Anderson broke her own eight-match losing streak with another three-set win, this one against Elizaveta Luzina. Anderson dominated the first set 6–0. The second set was all Luzina who won 6–3, before Anderson recovered for a 6–1 third set win.

“We’ve been on a slump as a team,” senior Aubrey Paul said. “It was good to come out and play really hard. I’m proud of our team.”

BYU picked up the doubles point with wins from the duos of sophomore Meghan Sheehan-Dizon and freshman Nicolette Tran and Mackenna Maddox and Anderson. Nicolette Tran also won her singles match.

The Cougars will be at home Saturday, April 13 for their noon match against the Gonzaga Bulldogs at the outdoor tennis courts.
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