LARAMIE, Wyo. (UNLVRebels.com) – The UNLV women's tennis team had match point but could not close out Wyoming in a 4-3 conference loss on Friday afternoon.

The Rebels were on the brink of victory and moving into a tie for first place despite being pushed indoors because of weather and having to play matches in shifts, which resulted in an outing that lasted nearly five hours. UNLV fell to 11-3 overall and 3-2 in league play while the Cowgirls improved to 10-8 overall but 5-0 in the Mountain West.

The Rebels took a 1-0 lead after winning two of three doubles matches. Molly Helgesson and Salsa Aher won 6-2 at the top of the lineup while Cindy Hu and Coco Zhao prevailed 6-4 on court two.

In singles, Helgesson got her team its second point with a 6-2, 0-6, 6-1 win over Sophie Zehender at the No. 1 spot. The hosts rallied to eventually build a 3-2 lead and UNLV was faced with having to win the final two matches -- and nearly did just that. Zhao dispatched Nikol Dobrilova, 6-0, 6-3, at No. 5 to tie things and then all eyes moved to the bottom of the lineup where Aura Fang split sets with Ana Fernandez. Fang had match point leading 5-4 in the third but saw Fernandez win the point and ultimately take three straight games to prevail, 6-2, 2-6, 7-5.

UP NEXT: UNLV stays in Laramie and will face Colorado State on Saturday in a neutral-site matchup starting at 2 p.m. PT. Live video is available at unlvrebels.com.
 
Women's Tennis Match Results
WYOMING 4, UNLV 3
April 7, 2023, at Laramie, WY
(UW Indoor Tennis Complex)

Singles competition
1. Molly Helgesson (UNLV) def. Sophie Zehender (WYO) 6-2, 0-6, 6-1
2. Maria Oreshkina (WYO) def. Zita Kovacs (UNLV) 6-4, 7-6 (7-5)
3. Noesjka Brink (WYO) def. Salsa Aher (UNLV) 6-3, 7-5
4. Violetta Borodina (WYO) def. Cindy Hu (UNLV) 6-3, 6-4
5. Coco Zhao (UNLV) def. Nikol Dobrilova (WYO) 6-0, 6-3
6. Ana Fernandez (WYO) def. Aura Fang (UNLV) 6-2, 2-6, 7-5
 
 Doubles competition
1. Salsa Aher/Molly Helgesson (UNLV) def. Sophie Zehender/Ana Fernandez (WYO) 6-2
2. Cindy Hu/Coco Zhao (UNLV) def. Maria Oreshkina/Violetta Borodina (WYO) 6-4
3. Noesjka Brink/Nikol Dobrilova (WYO) def. Nina Zdravkovic/Zita Kovacs (UNLV) 6-1
 
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (3,4,1,2,5,6)