Cougars bring home a 7-0 victory against the Vandals in first match of the weekend

PULLMAN, Washington – BYU women's tennis picked up a decisive 7-0 win against the University of Idaho Vandals on the first day of a two-match weekend in Washington.

"We battled every second today and I loved to see the girls problem solving," said BYU head coach Holly Parkinson Hasler. "We are excited for another tough challenge against Washington State tomorrow."

As the match day began, games were moved inside because of inclement weather. At the No. 1 doubles spot, BYU's Leah Heimuli and Kate Cusick Truman picked up a 5-3 win against Idaho’s Melissa Hutchet and Ilana Oleynik. In No. 2 doubles, Polina Malykh and Emilee Astle took home a decisive 6-2 win against Laura Spataro and Maggie Chen, clinching the doubles point for BYU. The No. 3 team Helen Jiao and Madeline Almeida Wanlass did not finish their match, stopping with a 5-4 lead against Marta Magalhaes and Nicole Horacek.

After a strong performance in doubles, Heimuli took the first singles match, giving BYU a 2-0 lead with a 6-4, 6-4 victory against Hutchet. Almeida Wanlass finished close behind, beating Oleynik 6-0, 7-6 to bring the score to 3-0.

With only one more match point needed to secure a win, Astle came from behind to beat Chen 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 in the No. 4 singles to give BYU a 4-0 lead. The Cougars continued to add to their win when Cusick Truman finished her No. 1 singles match with a victory against Spataro 6-2, 4-6, 6-4.

At No. 6 singles, Emma Jewell beat Shion Watabe in straight sets 6-1, 6-3 in her first win of the season. Jiao was the last player to pick up a win for BYU in her No. 5 singles match. She defeated Magalhaes 6-3, 7-6 to clinch the 7-0 win.

The Cougars face Washington State on Saturday, Feb. 1, at 12 P.M.

Doubles

1. Leah Heimuli and Kate Cusick Truman (BYU) def. Melissa Hutchet and Ilana Oleynik (UI) 5-3
2. Polina Malykh and Emilee Astle (BYU) def. Laura Spataro and Maggie Chen (IU) 6-2
3. Helen Jiao and Madeline Almeida Wanlass (BYU) vs. Marta Magalhaes and Nicole Horacek (IU) 5-4

Order of finish: 2,1

Singles

1. Kate Cusick Truman (BYU) def. Laura Spataro (IU) 6-2, 4-6, 6-4
2. Leah Heimuli (BYU) def. Melissa Hutchet (IU) 6-4, 6-4
3. Madeline Almeida Wanlass (BYU) def. Ilana Oleynik (IU) 6-0, 7-6
4. Emilee Astle (BYU) def. Maggie Chen (IU) 4-6, 6-2, 6-1
5. Helen Jiao (BYU) def. Marta Magalhaes (IU) 6-3, 7-6
6. Emma Jewell (BYU) def. Shion Watabe (IU) 6-1, 6-3

Order of finish: 2, 3, 1 ,4, 6, 5