PROVO, Utah – Despite a strong effort from Kate Cusick in singles play, BYU women’s tennis fell to Gonzaga 4-1 Saturday afternoon at BYU’s Outdoor Tennis Courts.

“We had a hard time in doubles today,” BYU head coach Lauren Jones-Spencer said. “It obviously didn’t help us going into singles being down 1-0. That proved today to be a huge disadvantage. We’ve just got to start off stronger more consistently and we’ll be okay. Kate (Cusick) had a huge win for us today. I’m really proud of the way she came out and played during singles play.”

Gonzaga (12-1, 3-1 West Coast Conference) took control early with wins at second and third doubles. Sophie Whittle and Graciela Rosas defeated Cusick and Samantha Smith 6-4, while Haruna Tsuruta and Kate Ketels defeated Taylah Beckman and Demi Perkinson 6-3.

The Zags’ Whittle won first in singles against Savannah Ware-Avina 6-2, 6-0 before Cusick came storming back for BYU (6-9, 1-2 WCC) winning 6-1, 6-2 against Alex Bourguignon. Gonzaga’s Tsuruta beat Smith 6-4, 6-4 before Domonique Garley secured the 4-1 victory win a win over Perkinson 7-5, 7-5.

The Cougars hit the road next for a match at Saint Mary’s Friday, April 7, at 2 p.m. PDT.

Gonzaga 4, BYU 1

Singles competition

1. WHITTLE, Sophie (GON) def. Savannah Ware-Avina (BYU) 6-2, 6-0

2. Natella Nabieva (BYU) vs. ROSAS, Graciela (GON) 7-6 (9-7), 5-0, unfinished

3. Kate Cusick (BYU) def. BOURGUIGNON, Alex (GON) 6-1, 6-2

4. TSURUTA, Haruna (GON) def. Samantha Smith (BYU) 6-4, 6-4

5. Taylah Beckman (BYU) vs. KETELS, Kate (GON) 6-2, 2-6, 4-1, unfinished

6. GARLEY, Domonique (GON) def. Demi Perkinson (BYU) 7-5, 7-5

Doubles competition

1. Savannah Ware-Avina/Natella Nabieva (BYU) def. BOURGUIGNON, Alex/GARLEY, Domonique (GON) 6-3

2. WHITTLE, Sophie/ROSAS, Graciela (GON) def. Kate Cusick/Samantha Smith (BYU) 6-4

3. TSURUTA, Haruna/KETELS, Kate (GON) def. Taylah Beckman/Demi Perkinson (BYU) 6-3

Order of finish: Doubles (1,2,3); Singles (1,3,4,6)

PROVO, UTAH – After an undefeated weekend at home, BYU women's tennis will host Gonzaga and Portland in two West Coast Conference matches this weekend at the BYU tennis courts. 

The Cougars will host Portland on Friday, March 31 at noon MDT and face the Zags on Saturday at noon.  

BYU (5-8, 0-1 WCC) looks to build on its win streak after a 4-3 victory over Utah State last Friday and a 4-1 win against the University of Houston on Saturday. Senior Savannah Ware-Avina continued to lead the Cougars with two victories at the No. 1 singles spot including the clinch win to give BYU the match against the Aggies. Freshmen Kate Cusick and Samantha Smith both finished the weekend as well with back-to-back wins in singles at the No. 3 and 4 spots, respectively, with Cusick clinching the match for the Cougars against Houston.

Portland (6-6, 2-0 WCC) dropped five of the first six matches of the season before reversing the feat and going 5-1 in the most recent six matches. The Pilots will enter Saturday's match with back-to-back WCC victories also over San Francisco and Santa Clara. The Pilots look to earn their first road victory of the season. 

Gonzaga (11-1, 2-0 WCC) maintains a near-perfect record and remains undefeated in WCC play. The Zags enter the week with a four-match win streak that includes back-to-back sweeps against San Francisco and Santa Clara. Gonzaga will face San Diego on Thursday prior to Saturday's match and look to build on last season's 6-3 WCC record.

Live stats and streaming video will be available on the BYU schedule page. Admission is free to the public and free pizza will be served.