ALBUQUERQUE -- BYU women’s tennis improved to 4-3 in conference play and 8-12 on the season after defeating New Mexico 6-1 Friday.

“We played solid tennis from top to bottom,” BYU coach Joey Johnson said. “We had decisive wins and, in general, the players are improving every match.”

Doubles play brought wins across the board for the Cougars. Chie Hayasaka and Liza Ezhova earned the first win for BYU on court three. Kristina Doerr and Elle Carney followed with an 8-4 victory at the No. 2 position to notch the doubles point. No. 30 McCall Jones and Megan Price completed the sweep, winning their match 8-6.

“We tried some new doubles combination,” Johnson said. “Those new pairs helped out and made a difference.”

On courts one through three, No. 35 Jones, Doerr and Hayasaka all took their matches in straight sets. Price, who recently returned to the lineup, defeated her opponent 6-1, 6-4 at the No. 5 spot to secure the win for the Cougars.

Ezhova tallied another win for BYU, a 6-3, 6-0 decision on court six. The only point of the day for the Lobos came at the No. 4 position where Ashley Bonner defeated Elle Carney. The BYU junior won the first set 6-4 before losing the second 6-0. Because the match result was set, the players competed in a 10-point tiebreak rather than a full third set. Bonner won 10-1 in the tiebreak and finished the match at 6-1.

“All in all, everybody felt good about the way they played and so did I,” Johnson said. “As we prepare for Saturday, the players are in a competitive mindset and ready to get out there.”

BYU will close the season against TCU Saturday at the Lobo Tennis Center. The match begins at 10 a.m.

Results
BYU-6
New Mexico-1
Doubles
1. No. 30 Jones/Price (BYU) def. Bonner/Villanueva (UNM) 8-6
2. Doerr/Carney (BYU) def. Oldani/Shipperd (UNM) 8-4
3. Hayasaka/Ezhova (BYU) def. Durie/Bourdages (UNM) 8-3
Order of Finish: 3, 2, 1
Singles
1. No. 35 M. Jones (BYU) def. A. Villanueva (UNM) 6-2, 6-0
2. K. Doerr (BYU) def. K. Eggleston (UNM) 6-1, 6-3
3. C. Hayasaka (BYU) def. L. Richardson (UNM) 6-0, 6-0
4. A. Bonner (UNM) def. E. Carney (BYU) 6-4, 0-6, 10-1
5. M. Price (BYU) def. M. Durie (UNM) 6-1, 6-4
6. L. Ezhova (BYU) def. A. Shipperd (UNM) 6-3, 6-0
Order of Finish: 3, 1, 2, 5, 6, 4

PROVO -- With only two regular-season matches left, the BYU women’s tennis team heads to New Mexico for the weekend. The Cougars will face UNM Friday and TCU Saturday.

“We’re in the process of finding the right doubles combinations for the conference tournament,” BYU coach Joey Johnson said. “I’m looking forward to seeing how our new pairs perform.”

In its last outing, BYU earned wins over Air Force and Colorado State before falling to Wyoming. Sophomore McCall Jones jumped 17 spots in the rankings this week to land at No. 35. She and Megan Price came in at No. 30 in doubles.

“This is another opportunity for us,” Johnson said. “We have the chance to adjust to playing at a lower altitude, which will help us prepare for the tournament.”

New Mexico has struggled this season after returning only four players from last year’s roster. The Lobos currently have a 1-17 record and are 0-5 in conference play. Last week, the team lost 6-1 to San Diego State and 7-0 to UNLV. The Cougars lead the all-time series with UNM 32-5.

Defending tournament champions TCU will wrap up the season for BYU. The Horned Frogs (6-14, 3-2) have two ranked singles players in No. 52 Nina Munch-Soegaard and No. 92 Kayla Duncan. Duncan also pairs with Katariina Tuohimaa to form the No. 50 doubles team in the nation. TCU is coming off back-to-back 4-3 losses to San Diego State and UNLV.

“TCU will be a good test for us,” Johnson said. “Despite the ups and downs of the season, our players have more confidence and are playing with more intensity than they have before.”

Play against New Mexico begins at 2 p.m. Friday while Saturday’s match against TCU starts at 10 a.m. Both matches will be played at the Lobo Tennis Center in Albuquerque, N.M.