The No. 45 BYU women’s tennis team defeated West Virginia 4-2 on March 14 at the Outdoor Tennis Courts in Provo, Utah, after overcoming an early deficit in doubles play.
The match was significant as it demonstrated BYU’s resilience and ability to recover from a slow start, which could impact their momentum for the rest of the season.
West Virginia took an early lead by winning doubles matches on courts two and three. The Cougars’ only doubles win came from Gracie Levelston and Karina Mohamed, who secured a 6-1 victory at the No. 1 spot. In singles, West Virginia extended its advantage when Kendall Kovick lost on court two, putting BYU behind 2-0.
However, BYU responded strongly in singles play. YuYun Chen started the comeback with a decisive 6-0, 6-0 win at No. 4 singles. Sue Yan Tan followed with a 6-2, 6-2 victory on court three to tie the match. Mohamed then gave BYU its first lead by winning her match at No. 5 singles with scores of 6-0, 6-3.
Freshman Sage Bergeson clinched the overall win for BYU at No. 6 singles after battling through a close first set and pulling away in the second set to secure the fourth point for her team. Levelston was leading her match on court one when play was stopped because BYU had already secured enough points for victory.
With this result, BYU improved its season record to 13 wins and four losses.
Looking ahead, BYU will travel next week for two Big 12 Conference matches: against Colorado in Boulder on Thursday, March 19 at noon MDT and against Texas Tech in Lubbock on Saturday, March 21 at 11 a.m. MDT.
