Friday, 10/02/2009

PROVO, Utah (Sept. 17, 2009) – After the first day of competition, the BYU women’s tennis team sent three players into the singles quarterfinal and three pairs into the doubles quarterfinal at the BYU Invitational.

“All the girls played really well,” BYU assistant coach Lauren Jones said. “For the first match of the season, they stepped up and played aggressive tennis.”

Sophomore McCall Jones had a bye in the first round and handily defeated her Colorado State opponent 6-0, 6-2 to earn her place in the final eight. Kristina Doerr also enjoyed a bye in the first round before winning her match in straight sets to join Jones in the quarters.

Megan Price is the last Cougar in the top eight after wins over Utah’s Lexi Provancho and CSU’s Tori Arneson, both in straight sets.

In the B draw, freshman Aubrey Potter had a good first showing, defeating Utah State’s Jenny Phillips 6-1, 6-2.

Doubles competition brought more quarterfinalists for BYU with Chie Hayasaka and Liza Ezhova clinching the first spot after an 8-2 win. Doerr and Romina Nedakovic claimed their place after notching an 8-4 victory.

Jones and Price finished up the day with a decisive win over their Utah State challengers. The sophomore tandem did not drop a single game in the match and will continue play Friday.

“As the tournament goes on, the matches get a little harder,” Jones said. “I’m excited to see what our players do against some tougher competition.”

Friday’s matches begin at 10 a.m. at the BYU Outdoor Tennis Courts. The courts are located south of the soccer field and can be accessed through the east entrance. 

Admission to all matches is free and open to the public. All BYU parking lots are open after 4 p.m.