BYU women's tennis clinches 4-2 home opener win over Boise State

PROVO, Utah – After falling to a 2-1 deficit, BYU came back to win its match against Boise State 4-2, Friday.

"The girls fought so hard today," Head Coach Holly Parkinson Hasler said. "We've had an unlucky fight with sickness this week, but everyone battled. After several turn arounds throughout the match, we came out on top. It's all about belief and today we believed!"

With the win, BYU is now 2-1 on the year, while Boise State holds a 3-5 record.

Madeline Almeida and Polina Malykh extended their undefeated doubles record to 3-0, while Almeida increased her singles record to 3-0 as she moved up to fill the No. 3 singles position in BYU’s match against Boise State.

In doubles, Kate Cusick and Alina Menshykova, playing for the first time together, lost 6-1 to Boise State's Lilian Poling and Wilhelmina Palmer. However, the Cougars came back to get the doubles point after the No. 1 doubles loss. Taylah Beckman and Samantha Smith evened out the wins, taking a 6-3 victory over BSU's Wiktoria Nosek and Emily Strande in No. 3 doubles. Malykh and Almeida finished on a positive note in a No. 2 doubles 6-4 triumph against Frankie Trella and Vanessa Timm.

The Cougars would fall behind again 2-1 in singles play. After coming back to win the second set, Cusick dropped a hard-fought three-set battle 6-0, 3-6, 6-0 to Palmer in No. 1 singles; following which, Malykh suffered a 6-2, 6-4 loss against Poling in No. 2 singles.

BYU's undefeated Almeida tied up the score at 2-2 in a three-set No. 3 match against Nosek, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4. Smith then claimed an exhilarating 7-5, 6-4 win in No. 4 singles against Timm to regain the lead. To finish off the match, the Cougars' Beckman defeated Strande in No. 5 singles 7-5, 6-3; meanwhile, Menshykova left an unfinished match with the advantage, 6-1, 3-0, in No. 6 singles against Trella.

The Cougars return to their home court on Saturday, Feb. 9, at 10:00 a.m. MST when they face off against New Mexico. Live streaming and stats will be available on the women’s tennis schedule page.

Doubles

1. Lilian Poling/Wilhelmina Palmer (BSU) def. Kate Cusick/Alina Menshykova (BYU), 6-1
2. Madeline Almeida/Polina Malykh (BYU) def. Frankie Trella/Vanessa Timm (BSU) 6-4
3. Taylah Beckman/Samantha Smith (BYU) def. Wiktoria Nosek/Emily Strande (BSU) 6-3

Singles

1. Wilhelmina Palmer (BSU) def. Kate Cusick (BYU) 6-0, 3-6, 6-0
2. Lilian Poling (BSU) def. Polina Malykh (BYU) 6-2, 6-4
3. Madeline Almeida (BYU) def. Wiktoria Nosek 3-6, 6-1, 6-4
4. Samantha Smith (BYU) def. Vanessa Timm (BSU) 7-5, 6-4
5. Taylah Beckman (BYU) def. Emily Strande BSU) 7-5, 6-3
6. Alina Menshykova (BYU)  vs. Frankie Trella (BSU) 6-1, 3-0, unfinished

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