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PROVO -- The BYU women’s tennis team improved to 4-6 on the season Saturday after defeating Fresno State 4-1.

“This was the most focused the team has been in a match this season,” BYU coach Joey Johnson said. “The consistency and focus from top to bottom is great to see. This is a step in the right direction for us.”

In doubles play, Elle Carney and Chie Hayasaka made quick work of their opponents on court three to earn the first win of the day. Kristina Doerr and Romina Nedakovic clinched the point for BYU with an 8-4 win over Melissa McQueen and Julia Gragera-Cano.

At the No. 1 spot, No. 26 McCall Jones and Megan Price trailed their challengers 6-1. The sophomores couldn’t seem to settle into the match but winning two straight games was all it took to put them back on track. The Cougars tied things up at seven-all and played a tiebreak because the point was already decided. Despite getting ahead 6-4, the pair eventually fell 10-8 to give Fresno State its only doubles win.

Jones put the doubles match behind her as she overpowered Renata Kucerkova 6-1, 6-0 on court one. Hayasaka and Nedakovic picked up wins at the Nos. 4 and 3 positions, respectively, to secure the victory for BYU. The Bulldogs were able to get a win on court two where Laura Pola defeated Doerr.

Price and Carney both won their respective first sets but the matches were called due to time constraints and the final score stood at 4-1.

“I feel good about where we can go from here,” Johnson said. “We’re excited about Boise State next week, and we know that will be a big opportunity for the team.”

BYU will leave for a three-week road trip that begins next week in Idaho against No. 57 Boise State.

Results
BYU-4
Fresno State-1
Doubles
1. Kucerkova/Pola (FSU) def. No. 26 Jones/Price (BYU) 8-7 (10)
2. Doerr/Nedakovic (BYU) def. McQueen/Gragera-Cano (FSU) 8-4
3. Carney/Hayasaka (BYU) def. Mikhaylova/Modoc (FSU) 8-2
Order of Finish: 3, 2, 1
Singles
1. No. 52 M. Jones (BYU) def. R. Kucerkova (FSU) 6-1, 6-0
2. L. Pola (FSU) def. K. Doerr (BYU) 6-4, 6-2
3. R. Nedakovic (BYU) def. B. Modoc (FSU) 6-2, 6-4
4. C. Hayasaka (BYU) def. M. McQueen (FSU) 6-2, 6-3
5. M. Price (BYU) vs. J. Gragera-Cano (FSU) 6-1, 5-6 unfinished
6. E. Carney (BYU) vs. A. Mikhaylova 7-5 unfinished
Order of Finish: 1, 4, 3, 2

PROVO -- Saturday’s match between the BYU women’s tennis team and Fresno State will be the Cougars’ last home contest until April 1. BYU (3-6) will try to rebound from two close losses to top-50 teams last week.

McCall Jones moved up 25 places in the singles rankings and now sits at the No. 52 spot. She and Megan Price also improved to the No. 26 doubles team in the country. In their last outing, the Cougars dropped 4-3 matches against No. 50 Arizona and No. 22 DePaul.

Fresno State has yet to win a match this season and will hit the road with a 0-7 record. The Bulldogs will challenge No. 41 Utah Friday before heading to Provo. One of the bright spots for Fresno State is No. 12 Anastasia Petukhova but the senior hasn’t participated singles play in the last three matches. The overall record between the two schools stands at 2-4 in favor of the Bulldogs.

First serve is set for 11 a.m. Saturday at the BYU Indoor Tennis Courts. Admission is free and all BYU “Y Lot” parking lots are open to the public all day.