BYU Cougars women's tennis fell 4–2 to No. 11 Arizona State Sun Devils women's tennis on Thursday afternoon, competing closely throughout the matchup.
No. 27 BYU moved to 18–6 on the season with the result, while Arizona State improved to 18–4.
The Sun Devils gained the early edge by securing the doubles point with wins on Courts 1 and 3. BYU’s pairings remained competitive across all three courts, but Arizona State’s finishes were enough to carry a 1–0 lead into singles play.
From there the Cougars responded.
Gracie Levelston provided BYU’s first point at the top of the singles lineup with a ranked win over No. 28 Emilija Tverijonaite. The opening set was tightly contested and moved to a tiebreak, where Levelston pulled ahead. Shortly after, her opponent retired giving BYU the result and leveling the match.
YuYun Chen followed at No. 4 singles with a 7–5, 6–4 win over Lily Taylor. Chen worked through a close first set before gaining control late, then maintained that edge in the second to give BYU a 2–1 advantage.
Several other courts remained tightly contested as the duel continued.
Bella Lewis competed on Court 6 in one of the longest matches of the afternoon. After taking the first set 6–4, Lewis entered a back-and-forth second set that extended the match. The contest ultimately went the distance, with both players trading momentum through the final stages.
On Court 5, Sage Bergeson also remained in contention deep into her match against Aiya Nupbay. After dropping the opening set, Bergeson responded to force a deciding third set. The match remained undecided when play was halted following the clinch.
Arizona State regained control with results on other courts, reaching four team points before BYU could close out additional matches. The Sun Devils’ ability to finish in key moments proved decisive in the final outcome.
Despite the loss, BYU remained within reach throughout the dual. The Cougars secured wins at the No. 1 and No. 4 positions and pushed multiple additional matches into competitive late stages, keeping pressure on a top-15 opponent across the lineup.
The match highlighted BYU’s ability to compete against highly ranked teams, with several courts still in progress and the result not decided until the final stages of play.
The Cougars will look to build on the performance as Big 12 play continues.