LOGAN, Utah - Utah State women's tennis (4-7, 0-0 MW) lost at in-state rival BYU (6-4, 0-0 WCC), 6-1, on Friday afternoon at the Indoor Tennis Courts.
"That was a very high level college tennis match," said head coach Sean McInerney. "BYU is very good and I thought they played extremely hard and smart. We have been working really hard and that was a major step in the right direction with our point structure. We moved well and competed every point. Things are starting to head in the direction we need to reach our goals."
BYU won the doubles point as they recorded wins at the Nos. 1 and 2 spots, while junior Lucy Octave and freshman Annaliese County's match at the No. 3 spot went unfinished.
In singles, sophomore Alexandra Pisareva tied the match at 1-1 with a 6-0, 6-2 straight-set win at the No. 1 spot. After junior Hannah Jones and freshman Gabrielle Dekkers fell on court two and four, respectively, Octave took her match to three sets against Polina Malykh on court No. 3. Octave lost her first set, 6-4, and won the second set 7-6, however, Malykh won the final set, 6-3, to secure the win. County and Lavatai's match went on as scheduled, but they both lost in straight-sets at the Nos. 5 and 6 spots, respectively.
Utah State will continue its road trip next week in the Golden State, beginning at San Francisco on Tuesday, March 12, at 3 p.m. (MT), at UC Davis on Friday, March 15, at 3 p.m. (MT) and at Pacific on Sunday, March 17, at 1 p.m. (MT).
Fans can follow USU's women's tennis team on Twitter @USUWomensTennis, on Facebook at UtahStateWomensTennis or on Instagram @USUWomensTennis. Aggie fans can also follow the Utah State athletic program on Twitter at @USUAthletics, on Facebook at Utah State University Athletics or on Instagram at @USUAthletics.
RESULTS
BYU 6, Utah State 1
Doubles
1. Anastasia Abramyan/Kate Cusick (BYU) def. Hannah Jones/Alexandra Taylor (USU) 6-2
2. Polina Malykh/Madeline Almeida (BYU) def. Alexandra Pisareva/Sidnee Lavatai (USU) 6-4
3. Taylah Beckman/Samantha Smith (BYU) vs. Lucy Octave/Annaliese County (USU) 5-4, unfinished
Singles
1. Alexandra Pisareva (USU) def. Kate Cusick (BYU) 6-0, 6-2
2. Anastasia Abramyan (BYU) def. Hannah Jones (USU) 6-1, 7-5
3. Polina Malykh (BYU) def. Lucy Octave (USU) 6-4, 6-7, 6-3
4. Katie Fitt (BYU) def. Gabrielle Dekkers (USU) 7-5, 6-3
5. Madeline Almeida (BYU) def. Annaliese County (USU) 6-4, 7-6
6. Samantha Smith (BYU) def. Sidnee Lavatai (USU) 7-6, 6-3
Match Notes:
BYU 6-4
Utah State 4-7
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2); Singles (1,2,4,3,5,6)
-USU-
