LAS -- After a four and a half hour match, the No. 42 San Diego State women’s tennis team slipped by No. 57 BYU, 5-2.

With the results, both teams now have a 5-2 record against Mountain West opponents and are tied for third place in the conference standings.

“We fought very hard and played really well,” BYU coach Craig Manning said.

For the first time in 10 matches, the Cougars were unable to win the doubles point. BYU’s Liza Ezhova and Romina Nedakovic notched an 8-2 victory on court three to begin the match. However, the Aztec pairs at the No. 1 and No. 2 positions proved too much for the Cougars, who fell 9-8 at both spots.

“San Diego State is a good team and we almost had them,” Manning said. “We were right there.”

In singles, McCall Jones and Kristina Doerr made quick work of their opponents, earning straight set victories on courts one and two, respectively. SDSU came back with wins at the No. 4 and No. 5 positions.

The two remaining matches went to three sets before freshmen Megan Price and Romina Nedakovic both fell to end the match at 5-2.

“It was close. In the end, the heat and the wind got to the players a little bit,” Manning said.

The Cougars will finish the regular season Saturday against No. 50 UNLV. The match begins at 10 a.m. at the Fertitta Tennis Complex.

Match Results
No. 42 SAN DIEGO STATE- 5
No. 57 BYU- 2 
Doubles 
1. #58 Bagshaw/Trunk (SDSU) def. #69 Doerr/Jones (BYU) 9-8 
2. Roxanne Ellison/Sierra Ellison (SDSU) def. Carney/Price (BYU) 9-8 
3. Ezhova/Nedakovic (BYU) def. Cadua/Cioffi (SDSU) 8-2 
Singles 
1. #116 McCall Jones (BYU) def. Julia Trunk (SDSU) 6-3, 6-0 
2. Kristina Doerr (BYU) def. Holly Bagshaw (SDSU) 6-2, 6-4 
3. Emma Cioffi (SDSU) def. Megan Price (BYU) 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 
4. Esther Cadua (SDSU) def. Elizaveta Ezhova (BYU) 6-2, 6-3 
5. Olivia Colman (SDSU) def. Elle Carney (BYU) 6-4, 7-5 
6. Milana Yusupov (SDSU) def. Romina Nedakovic (BYU) 6-7, 6-2, 6-3

PROVO -- Two final Mountain West opponents await the No. 57 BYU women’s tennis team in Las Vegas. The Cougars will face No. 42 San Diego State Friday and No. 50 UNLV Saturday to wrap up the regular season.

“We’re constantly trying to build momentum,” BYU coach Craig Manning said. “These matches are another opportunity to get better.”

BYU is currently 12-7 on the season and 5-1 in conference play. The Cougars also have players ranked in singles and doubles. Freshman McCall Jones comes in at No. 116. She and partner Kristina Doerr also broke in to the doubles rankings this week at No. 69.

“We’re focusing on fundamentals and trying to execute them well,” Manning said. “It’s a never-ending battle trying to get your game to the next level.”

San Diego State will be the first test for BYU. The Aztecs own a 15-6 overall record and 4-2 conference record. Their last result was a 4-3 loss to the University of San Diego. SDSU has one duo ranked with Holly Bagshaw and Julia Trunk earning the No. 76 spot.

Saturday brings current conference leader UNLV. The Rebels boast an impressive 16-6 overall record and are 6-0 against Mountain West opponents. They swept Southern Utah 7-0 in their last outing. When the two teams met last year, the Cougars dominated in a 4-0 win.

“We’re trying to improve in any small aspect we can,” Manning said. “At the same time, we’re playing for a good seed in the tournament, so hopefully we’ll play well.”

Both matches will take place at the Fertitta Tennis Complex in Las Vegas at 10 a.m. PT.