Women's Tennis Year in Review: "This season was inspiring"

The 2022-23 BYU women's tennis team went 13-9, 6-3 in conference play, 6-3 at home, 6-4 on the road, and 1-2 playing at a neutral site. 

Head coach Holly Hasler recorded her 50th career win as head coach and coached in her 100th career collegiate match at BYU this season. At the conclusion of the year, Hasler now posts a 58-46 all-time record as the head coach for the Cougars. 

"I am thrilled by the direction our program is taking. Our team is young and full of limitless talent, so this season was inspiring to watch their growth and pursuit of excellence, said Hasler. "Each week in practice and during matches we watched the girls push each other to get better and boldly step up to the challenges in front of them. This was a great precursor for next year’s entry into the Big 12 Conference. We will be playing some of the best teams in the country, and after the heart and effort we saw from the girls this year, I feel encouraged and like our odds of success."

BYU swept the No. 44 Utah Utes, 4-0 on Mar. 11, making it the first win for the Cougars over the Utes in women's tennis since 2009. BYU's win over Weber State 7-0 on Jan. 27, was the program's lone win over an NCAA tournament team in 2023. 

The program was ranked as high as No. 54 nationally and the team's most signature doubles win came when Emilee Astle and Jacque Dunyon defeated the No. 1-ranked doubles team in the nation (Pepperdine) 6-2 on Apr. 15. 

"This year our girls made massive strides in their belief in themselves and that was really fun to watch as a coach. This belief came as we focused day in and day out on improving our body language on the court, consistent mental training off the court, and digging deep each day in practice so we were ready to dig deep in matches, said BYU assistant coach Gabby Curtis. "Holly and I love the momentum we built this year and I’m excited to watch the growth continue next season." 

Tina Li led the team in singles wins with 15. The freshman played in the No. 3/4 singles positions throughout the year. Bobo Huang led the program in doubles wins with 13. The sophomore played in the No. 1/2 doubles positions throughout the season. 

Huang was named to the Singles All-WCC First Team for the first time in her career. Astle, Dunyon, and Li also earned honors from the conference for their play in doubles. Astle and Dunyon were named to the Doubles All-WCC Second Team, and Li was named Honorable Mention Doubles All-WCC along with her teammate Huang. 

The team advanced to the WCC tournament semifinals for the first time under the direction of Hasler after sweeping Portland 4-0 in the first round.

BYU will move forward officially joining the Big 12 Conference on July 1st, and begin playing conference matches in 2024.