WICHITA – The No. 70 Wichita State women’s tennis team dropped its first match of the season Saturday, falling 6-1 to No. 44 BYU in a three hour, 57 minute marathon dual at the Wichita Country Club.

The Shockers fell behind early in all three matches of the doubles competition, but each team rallied, only to fall short as the Cougars won the doubles point. All three doubles matches were decided by identical scores of 8-6.

Wichita State picked up its first point of the match when freshman Lutfiana Budiharto breezed past BYU’s Romina Nedakovic in straight sets, 6-0, 6-0, in the No. 3 singles match, but BYU answered back in a big way, winning the next three decisions to claim the match. BYU’s Kristina Doerr downed Stephanie Dalmacio in the No. 2 match, while BYU’s freshman sensation McCall Jones picked up a straight set, 6-1, 6-1, decision over Anna Egorova in the No. 1 match. Megan Price clinched the match for the Cougars, holding off Lenore Lazaroiu in a second-set tie-breaker, 6-2, 7-6 (10-4).

With the match already decided, Florentina Hanisch fell in a match-deciding tie-breaker to BYU’s Chie Hayasaka in the tightly-contested No. 4 match, 7-6 (3), 2-6, 10-3, while Laryssa Ferreira fell in a similarly contested No. 6 match, 6-4, 3-6, 10-6.

The Shockers will take a week off before their next action, when they host Big 12 foe Oklahoma Sunday, Feb. 13 at 2 p.m. at Genesis Health Club’s Rock Road location.

--Wichita State--