The BYU women's tennis team's four-game win streak ended on Friday in Las Vegas against UNLV, but the Cougars bounced back on Saturday and picked up their fifth win of the season against Iowa State.
After its first defeat of the season on Friday, BYU battled back to defeat Iowa State 5–2 on Saturday at the Fertitta Tennis Complex.
'The girls bounced back today and played solid tennis,' BYU coach Lauren Jones-Spencer said in a news release. 'It was important for us to use yesterday as a learning experience and keep a positive attitude moving forward.'
BYU freshman Mackenna Maddox returns the ball against Boise State on Feb. 16. The Cougars defeated Iowa State Saturday 5–2 Saturday. (Photo Sarah Hill)
BYU won all three doubles matches to win the doubles point for the sixth consecutive match.
The Cougars were dominant in singles play winning four of six matches, all of the victories coming in straight sets.
BYU junior Desiree Tran bounced back from her Friday defeat to beat Iowa State's Simona Cacciuttolo 6–3, 6–2. Sophomore Meghan Sheehan-Dizon followed suit with her fifth victory of the season in a win against ISU's Ana Gasparovic 6–1, 6–2. Cougar freshman Mackenna Maddox started off quickly and never looked back against Jenna Longhurst in her 6–0, 6–3 win. Aubrey Paul also won her match for BYU 6–1, 6–2 against Iowa State's Emma Waites.
Freshman Nicolette Tran's undefeated streak was snapped in her three-set defeat to Iowa State's Meghan Cassens 7–5, 3–6, 1–0 and sophomore Morgan Anderson's difficult season continued in her defeat to Ksenia Pronina 3–6, 6–4, 6–2.
The Cougars opened up their match against UNLV with picking up the doubles point for the fifth consecutive match as Paul and Desiree Tran picked up a crucial victory along with BYU's Anderson and Maddox.
'We came out strong in doubles today and played confident,' Jones-Spencer said. 'But as a team we didn't execute as well in singles and UNLV took advantage.'
Nicolette Tran gave the Cougars their second point of the match with her victory against UNLV's Anett Ferenczi-Bako 6–2, 6–2.
'Nicolette (Tran) played great in singles today,' Jones-Spencer said. 'I think it was one of her best matches as a Cougar.'
Things were all downhill from there for BYU as UNLV went on to win the next five singles matches, four in straight sets, to win the match 5–2 and go to 5–3 on the season while dropping the Cougars to 4–1.
BYU will be back at home against rival Utah on March 2.