PROVO, Utah – No. 60 BYU women’s tennis fell to No. 45 Rice Friday in a non-conference match in Provo.

The Owls (11-8) got on the board first after claiming the doubles point with two 6-2 victories at Nos. 1 and 2 doubles. The Senior duo of Meghan Sheehan-Dizon and Morgan Anderson-Littlewood was leading 5-3 at No. 3 doubles, but it was called as the point had already been decided.

The Cougars (8-10, 3-4) fell into a deeper hole in singles when Rice went up 2-0 after a convincing win at No. 1 by the No. 21 nationally ranked singles player, Natalie Beazant, as she beat Sheehan-Dizon 6-2, 6-0. Savannah Ware got BYU on the board with a 6-2, 6-4 win at No. 4 singles, but the Owls would take the next two matches to win the match.

Toby Miclat won her match in a 10-point, third-set tiebreak to give the Cougars their second point. She beat Liat Zimmermann 4-6, 7-5, 1-0 (10-6).

BYU returns to action next Wednesday at home against rival Utah at 3 p.m. MDT.

PROVO, Utah – No. 60 BYU women’s tennis steps away from West Coast Conference play for a day Friday when they welcome No. 45 Rice University to Provo.

The Cougars (8-9, 3-4) lost a competitive match to No. 14 Pepperdine at home last Saturday in their most recent action and have gone 5-5 since beginning WCC play in mid-Frebrurary while battling injuries and ranked opponents. Morgan Anderson-Littlewood and Savannah Ware have both played strong tennis lately including wins in singles against Pepperdine on Saturday.

The Owls (9-7) come to Provo after a 4-0 loss to No. 7 Baylor last week but also posted a strong 5-2 win over No. 32 William & Mary at home the weekend before. Rice is led by the No. 21 singles player in the country, Natalie Beazant. Beazant was awarded her second Conference USA athlete of the week honor after the team's victory over William & Mary.

The match will begin at noon on the lower courts of the BYU outdoor courts in Provo on Friday. Live stats will be available through the women’s schedule page.