PROVO, Utah – No. 54 BYU women’s tennis (8-9, 3-4) hung tough but dropped its match against No. 14 Pepperdine 5-2 Saturday in Provo.

The Waves opened fast with a 6-1 win at No. 2 doubles over Katie Fitt and Savannah Ware by their No. 25 ranked doubles duo of Christine Maddox and Matea Cutura. Cougar seniors Meghan Sheehan-Dizon and Morgan Anderson-Littlewood kept BYU in contention for the doubles point with a 6-3 win at No. 3 singles. Despite a hotly contested matchup at No. 1 doubles, Pepperdine locked up the doubles point with a 6-4 victory.

Anderson-Littlewood carried the momentum of a strong doubles performance into singles play and was first off the court after beating Michaela Capannolo 6-3, 6-3. The Waves won the next four matchups to secure the overall victory before Ware gave the Cougars their second point. She beat No. 95 Apichaya Runglerdkriangkrai 6-3, 7-6 (9-7).

BYU stays home next week for a matchup with Rice on Friday at noon. The BYU men’s tennis team will host Pacific at the same time.

PROVO, Utah – No. 54 BYU women’s tennis returns home to host a pair of matches this week against Washington State Thursday and No. 14 Pepperdine on Saturday.

The Cougars (8-7, 3-3 West Coast Conference) split their weekend matches in California last week, falling 4-3 to No. 33 Saint Mary’s on Friday and beating Santa Clara 5-2 on Saturday. The doubles duo of Toby Miclat and Brittanie Eraso beat the No. 49 ranked duo in the country 6-2 in the matchup with the Gaels and Miclat led the Cougars with three wins on the weekend.

Washington State (11-8) is looking to use the matchup with BYU in Provo to bounce back from a three-match losing streak. The WSU Cougars fell to USC, Arizona and Arizona State, all of whom are ranked. The BYU Cougars fell to Arizona and Arizona State earlier this season.

The Waves (7-4, 1-0 WCC) come to Provo with their highest ranking of the season. Pepperdine is led by No. 10-ranked single Lorraine Guillermo and No. 95 Apichaya Runglerdkriangkrai. The Waves also boast the No. 25 ranked doubles duo in the country comprised of Matea Cutura and Christine Maddox.

Both matches will begin at noon MDT at the BYU outdoor tennis courts in Provo. Live stats will be available for both matches on the women’s tennis schedule page.