Cougars triumph in invitational finals

PROVO -- A grueling 3-hour duel in the singles final of the BYU Invitational ended in victory for freshman Callie Craig, who later went on to take the doubles title for the Cougars with teammate Megan Price.

“They did really well today,” said interim head coach Lauren Jones Spencer. “Everybody fought hard and they came out on top. I think mental toughness and sticking to their game plan to be aggressive and move forward was the key.”

In singles bracket A, Craig battled Wyoming’s Veronica Popovici, but fell in the first set 3-6. Undeterred, Craig charged forward to grab the second set 6-3 and tie the match. The final match opened with Craig behind Popovici 3-1. Craig—who hadn’t felt well since before the start of the match—struggled back to take the set 6-4 and claim the singles title for BYU.

“After the first set, I thought, ‘I fought this hard and I’m not going to give it up yet,’” Craig said. “I’ve worked hard to be here and my team’s been really supportive. That helped boost my confidence a lot. I feel like I deserve to be here.”

Andie Young challenged Taylor Perry of Utah State in singles bracket B, keeping the scores close to begin the first set, but falling behind 4-6. The second set took a similar turn, with Young coming up short 2-6.

Craig teamed up with Megan Price going into the doubles final as the No. 1 seed. The Cougars faced Aggies Perry and Jaci West, taking an early 4-1 lead. The Aggies bolted back to tie the set 6-6, winning four consecutive games. Craig and Price narrowly took the next game to lead 7-6. The last game went to deuce, but the Cougars scored the last two points to claim an 8-6 win.

The Cougars now turn their focus to the Cal Invitational, which opens Friday.

This event was sanctioned by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. The collegiate athletes participated as individuals in this tournament while representing their schools.

For more information and results, click here.