Cougars open fall season with BYU Invitational

PROVO, Utah – The BYU women’s tennis team opens the fall season Thursday, Sept. 22 with the annual BYU Invitational. Players from BYU, Montana, Utah State and Weber State will complete individually in the three-day tournament.

"This will be a good opportunity for us to get some matches under our belt and get some confidence," BYU head coach Lauren Jones-Spencer said. "Our goal is to blast through the draw and make it an all-BYU final in double and singles. The girls have been playing well and I'm looking forward to seeing how they perform."

As the Cougars begin fall play, BYU welcomes back seniors Mayci Jones, Savannah Ware, Natella Nabieva and Demi Perkinson along with sophomores Taylah Beckman and Sarah Clifford. Freshmen Kate Cusick, Polina Malykh and Samantha Smith also join the Cougars this season.

In the BYU Invitational singles draw, Smith will compete as the No. 1 seed while teammate Beckman competes as the No. 3 seed. Utah State's Nini Guenster will play as the No. 2 seed with fellow Aggie Ekaterina Tugarinova as the No. 4 seed.

Play begins each day with doubles matches starting at 9 a.m. followed by singles matches at 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. Matches will be played at the BYU outdoor tennis courts and the event is free to the public. In the case of bad weather, matches will be played at the BYU indoor tennis courts located directly south of the Smith Fieldhouse.