Provo, UT. (Mar. 1, 2002) -- After winning all three doubles matches to take a 1-0 lead into singles play, BYU's No. 52 ranked women's tennis team easily defeated No. 59 Kansas 5-2, Friday. The match was the first at home for the Cougars since early January.
BYU clinched the home victory 4-2 when Liza Khoudoiarova defeated Kansas' Aurelie Bejar 6-2, 6-2 at the No. 4 singles spot. Other Cougars picking up wins included Lu Oswald at No. 3 and Dominique Reynolds at No.5. Senior Brooke Beverley, who plays the number two singles spot for BYU, lost the first set 4-6 then battled back to win the second set 6-4 and eventually won on a (18-16) tiebreak.
"I was very impressed with how hard our team fought today," said Cougar coach Craig Manning. "They come into to every match and fight so hard and for us that's the important thing. We also had great doubles play," added Coach Manning.
The Kansas Jayhawks picked up three-set wins at the number one and number six singles positions.
BYU who improved to 3-6 on the season, continues its homestand with a match against No. 12 Washington Saturday and No. 27 Washington State Monday.
PROVO -- The No. 52 BYU women's tennis team gets its first home match in more than a month this weekend. The Cougars (2-6) will take on three ranked teams in four days, all at home, beginning with Friday's 3 p.m. match against No. 59 Kansas.
The Cougars have played well on several tough road trips so far this season. BYU head coach Craig Maanning is very happy with how well the Cougars are playing considering the challenges and stiff competition.
"Everybody's effort has been outstanding," Manning said. "We're playing much better now."
The Cougars have dealt with many obstacles this season, but have remained a tough team to beat. The Cougars look like they have their doubles combinations set now, and the team is starting to work well together.
Elizaveta Khoudoiarova, a junior from Moscow, Russia, has excelled at the No. 5 singles position so far this season. On the Cougars' most recent road trip, Khoudoiarova went undefeated in singles play. She is now 6-2 in dual matches this season.
The Cougars will face No. 12 Washington on Saturday and No. 27 Washington State on Monday. All of the matches will take place in the Smith Indoor Tennis Courts.
