PROVO, Utah –  The BYU women’s tennis team fell 4-3 to Utah in the Deseret First Duel at the BYU Indoor Tennis Courts on Saturday.

Polina Malykh continued her winning streak, taking her ninth win in a row. Her 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 win over Emily Dush in No. 3 singles increased her season record to 10-2.

Kate Cusick and Anastasia Abramyan started doubles strong for the Cougars with a 6-3 victory in the No. 1 position over Utah’s Brianna Chisholm and Madison Tattini. After a tough battle in No. 2, BYU’s Madeline Almeida and Malykh fell to the Ute’s Whitney Hekking and Leah Heimuli 6-4. With doubles tied up, the point came down to the No. 3 position; the Cougars’ Taylah Beckman and Samantha Smith pulled through in a close 7-6 (7-5) match against Utah’s Dush and Lindsay Hung.

In the No. 2 singles matchup, BYU’s Cusick fell to Utah’s Tattini 3-6, 2-6. The Utes then took the lead after the Cougars’ Almeida suffered a tight three-set loss, 2-6, 7-6 (7-2), 4-6 to Hung in the No. 4 position.

After Malykh’s win in No. 3 singles, BYU’s Abramyan defeated Chisholm in a No. 1 singles 3-5, 7-5, 6-4 match win. Then BYU’s Katie Fitt suffered a loss in another long match, 7-6 (7-4), 3-6, 1-6, to Utah’s Hekking in No. 5 singles. The Utes earned the narrow victory in No. 6 singles when Heimuli defeated BYU's Smith in the third three-set match of the day, 3-6, 6-3, 1-6.

The Cougars continue WCC play against Gonzaga on Friday, March 22, at 12 p.m. MDT at the BYU Outdoor Courts. A live stream and live stats will be available on the women’s tennis schedule page.

Doubles

1. Anastasia Abramyan/Kate Cusick (BYU) def. Brianna Chisholm/Madison Tattini (UTAH) 6-3
2. Whitney Hekking/Leah Heimuli (UTAH) def. Madeline Almeida/Polina Malykh (BYU) 6-4
3. Taylah Beckman/Samantha Smith (BYU) def. Emily Dush/Lindsay Hung (UTAH) 7-6 (7-5)

Singles

1. Anastasia Abramyan (BYU) def. Brianna Chisholm (UTAH) 3-6, 7-5, 6-4
2. Madison Tattini (UTAH) def. Kate Cusick (BYU) 6-3, 6-2
3. Polina Malykh (BYU) def. Emily Dush (UTAH) 5-7, 6-3, 6-4
4. Lindsay Hung (UTAH) def. Madeline Almeida (BYU) 6-2, 6-7 (2-7), 6-4
5. Whitney Hekking (UTAH) def. Katie Fitt (BYU) 6-7 (4-7), 6-3, 6-1
6. Leah Heimuli (UTAH) def. Samantha Smith (BYU) 6-3, 3-6, 6-1

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PROVO, Utah – The BYU women’s tennis team begins conference play against Portland and also battles against Utah in the Deseret First Duel, this weekend at home.

Matches against Portland will be held on Friday, March 15 at 10 a.m. MDT at the BYU Indoor Tennis Courts. On Saturday, March 16 at 3 p.m. MDT, the Cougars will battle against Utah, playing indoors unless the weather permits outdoor play.

BYU

BYU is now 6-4 on the season after claiming a 6-1 victory over Utah State. Junior Polina Malykh extended her winning streak to 7-0 after clinching the match in No. 3 singles. Duo Samantha Smith and Taylah Beckman extended their doubles record to 6-2 after a match win in No. 2 doubles.

Portland

The Pilots have a 6-4 season record after losing a pair of matches to Arizona and Grand Canyon last weekend. The Cougars hold an 8-1 advantage in the all-time record with Portland.

Utah

The Utes maintain an 8-3 record after taking a 4-3 victory against No. 28 Washington State and suffering a 3-4 loss to No. 7 Washington this weekend. The Cougars hold a 6-11 record against Utah since 2003.

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