Cusick leads BYU to 4-0 sweep over San Francisco

PROVO, Utah – Sophomore Kate Cusick led BYU women's tennis to a 4-0 sweep over San Francisco in its West Coast Conference home opener Friday.

"I thought the girls did a great job today," BYU head coach Lauren Jones-Spencer said. "Looking to build off today's big win going into tomorrow."

The Cougars (5-3, 2-1 WCC) took control of the match right from the start and dominated doubles. Junior Taylah Beckman and sophomore Samantha Smith defeated Anna Sokiran and Alexa Meyer of San Francisco (1-6, 0-1 WCC) 6-1 to secure the first doubles win. 

Sophomores Cusick and Polina Malykh followed up with a 6-0 sweep over the Dons' Shanna Dos Santos and Margarita Treyes to give BYU the 1-0 lead. No. 1 doubles senior Mayci Jones and freshman Anastasia Abramyan did not finish their match against San Francisco's Emily Maxfield and Mya Bui.

Cusick continued her strong play in singles as she competed against Bui in No. 3 singles. After a close set, Cusick overwhelmed Bui in the second set to earn a 6-4, 6-0 victory and give the Cougars a 2-0 lead over San Francisco.

At No. 4 singles, freshman Madeline Almeida had an impressive performance in her matchup against Treyes. Almeida almost completed the sweep, only giving up one game in the entire match and winning 6-0, 6-1. BYU took a commanding 3-0 lead in front of the Dons.

Playing in No. 2 singles, Abramyan took the first set 6-2, but Sokiran battled back in the second to win in a close match. However, Abramyan was too much for Sokiran in the third set, getting the 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 victory and completing the 4-0 sweep for the Cougars.

Matches for No. 1, No. 5 and No. 6 singles went unfinished.

BYU plays again tomorrow against Washington State at 10:00 a.m. MST at the Indoor Tennis Courts. Admission to the match is free and complimentary pizza will be provided for all spectators. Live video and stats can be found on BYU's schedule page.

Box Score:

Singles competition:

1. Mayci Jones (BYU) vs. Emily Maxfield (USF) 5-7, 6-3, 2-3, unfinished

2. Anastasia Abramyan (BYU) def. Anna Sokiran (USF) 6-2, 4-6, 6-2

3. Kate Cusick (BYU) def. Mya Bui (USF) 6-4, 6-0

4. Madeline Almeida (BYU) def. Margarita Treyes (USF) 6-0, 6-1

5. Polina Malykh (BYU) vs. Shanna Dos Santos (USF) 6-0, 2-1, unfinished

6. Hermehr Kaur (BYU) vs. Amber Del Rosario (USF) 5-3, unfinished

Doubles competition:

1. Mayci Jones/Anastasia Abramyan (BYU) vs. Emily Maxfield/Mya Bui (USF) 4-2, unfinished

2. Kate Cusick/Polina Malykh (BYU) def. Shanna Dos Santos/Margarita Treyes (USF) 6-0

3. Taylah Beckman/Samantha Smith (BYU) def. Anna Sokiran/Alexa Meyer (USF) 6-1

Match Notes:

University of San Francisco 1-6

BYU  5-3

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