BYU Women’s Tennis fights hard, comes up short to best team in country
There’s a reason Oklahoma State’s Women’s Tennis team is ranked No. 1 in the country. In their last five matches before their battle against BYU on Saturday morning, they won all five with a combined score of 28-2.
In total, the Cowgirls have five players ranked in the top 100, highlighted by Ange Oby Kajuru and Anastasiya Komar, who are ranked fourth and seventh respectively.
How did the Cougars fare when Oklahoma St travelled to Provo? BYU gave it their all, but ultimately fell short 5-2.
Doubles dominance
Even with the tall task of facing the number one team in the country, that didn’t faze the Cougars, who have yet to drop a point in doubles all season.
The duos of Tina Lee/Kara Wheatley and Emilee Astle/Kendall Kovick made quick work of their opponents, winning both sets 6-2.
The two pairs finished so quick that Bobo Huang and Kaavya Sawhney didn’t need to finish their match. The Cougars already earned the point.
Astle and Kovick’s massive victory came against the No. 5 ranked doubles team in the country.
Their partnership proves to be a fan favorite at home matches. The unique tandem is a must watch, with Astle being the tallest (6’0″) and Kovick being the shortest (5’2″) on the team.
Multiple times throughout their match, fans gave them roaring ovations and even started a few “B-Y-U” chants in the indoor tennis courts.
“I think [the home court advantage] is really what got us the doubles point”
Kendall Kovick, BYU Women’s Tennis Player
Where the Cougars fell short was in singles play. Even with momentum carrying over from doubles, and a helpful home court advantage, Oklahoma State showed they were worthy of the number one ranking.
It’s hard to compete with the depth that Oklahoma State has. Their third, fourth, and fifth singles players are all ranked in the top 100, while BYU only has one (No. 74 Bobo Huang).
Kendall Kovick got the lone singles victory for the Cougars in an exhilarating three set match that saw her win 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 against No. 54 ranked, Lucia Peyre.
Kovick, who transferred from West Virginia this season, is having an impactful year at BYU. A huge victory for the Cougars in the transfer portal.
BYU going forward
Make no mistake, BYU is a great tennis team, and is in the midst of their best season in recent memory.
Before their match against the Cowgirls, BYU was ranked 37th in the country and 2nd in the Big 12 standings. They have been the surprise team of the season, as they were only picked to finish 9th in the Big 12 preseason poll.
They had already beaten two ranked Big 12 teams before Saturday’s match, making quick work of No. 59 UCF 5-2 and No. 65 Kansas State 4-1.
While Oklahoma State may have got the best of the Cougars, BYU showed that they can compete with anybody.
“I think we proved that we can hang with the best teams in the country”
Kendall Kovick, BYU Women’s Tennis Player
Keep an eye out for the Cougars in April at the Big 12 Championships.
Up next:
BYU travels to Ames, IA to play Iowa State on Thursday, March 14th at 5 ET.
