THIS WEEK: The Washington State tennis team (13-1) begins Pac-12 Conference play on the road as the No. 47-ranked Cougars travel to Los Angeles, Calif. Washington State begins play Friday, March 4, against No. 27 UCLA (7-3) at 1:30 p.m. The Cougars are then slated to face USC (3-4) Saturday, March 5, at noon.
LAST TIME OUT: The Washington State tennis team moved to 13-1 on the season as the Cougars split matches in Fresno, Calif. The Cougars opened play Friday falling in a hard-fought match against No. 26 Fresno State, 4-3. On Saturday, Washington State was able to bounce back by posting a 5-1 win over Saint Mary's.
COUGARS RANKED IN ITA POLL: After the 13-1 start, Washington State checks in at 47th in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association poll. WSU reached a high of No. 52 last season.
BASHOTA MAKES HISTORY: Sophomore Donika Bashota's two victories last weekend moved her into third on the WSU season singles wins list with 31 wins. She matches her 31 wins from last season, which was a WSU freshman record, and sits tied with Elisabeth Fournier (2010) on the list. With three more victories, Bashota would move into sole possession of number one on the all-time season victories list. Furthermore, Bashota's 31-2 record, including a 14-0 mark in dual matches, passes Liudmila Vasilieva (2011-12) for the second-best start in school history. The Lidkoping, Sweden, native opened the fall season with a 15-1 record.
RECORD WATCH: Senior Maria Biryukova sits in sole possession of eighth place on the WSU all-time wins list. She recently passed Andrea Reisz (1996-99), who won 79 matches as a Cougar. The Moscow, Russia, native has accrued 81 victories at Washington State, needing only six more to move into a tie with Andjela Kankaras (2009-13) and Erica Perkins (1998-02) for sixth on the all-time wins list.
MIKSOVSKA OFF TO FAST START: Freshman Aneta Miksovska is 22-4 to start the year, including a 12-1 record in dual matches. The Stramberk, Czech Republic, native's 22-3 start marked the second-best start for a freshman in WSU history. Erin Majury (1982-84) sits first on the list with a 27-0 record. Teammate Donika Bashota sits fifth on the list, starting 24-7 last season and went on to win 31 matches, a WSU record for freshman singles victories.
ALL-TIME AGAINST UCLA: Washington State will square off against No. 27 UCLA for the 23rd time since 1994. The Cougars are 1-21 all-time against the Bruins.
ALL-TIME AGAINST USC: Washington State will square off against USC for the 22nd time since 1994. The Cougars are winless against the Trojans in 21 matches.
COUGARS GARNER ITA RANKINGS: Sophomore Donika Bashota earned a No. 119 national ranking in the latest ITA poll. In the first regional rankings of the year, Bashota was named the No. 6 Northwest Regional player after finishing the 2015 fall season with a 15-1 record. Senior Trang Huynh garnered a No. 15 regional ranking following her first fall season of competition posting an 11-6 record.
ROSTER BREAKDOWN: For the 2015-16 season the Cougars will have three new faces to go with five returners. The returning roster includes seniors Maria Biryukova and Lize Leenknecht, junior Victoria Matejevic, and sophomores Holly Monahan and Donika Bashota. New to the squad this season are senior Trang Huyhn, who arrives in Pullman after transferring from Troy, along with freshmen Barbora Michalkova and Aneta Miksovska.
COACH HART: Lisa Hart is in her 13th season as the head coach of Washington State. Hart has accumulated 167 wins over her tenure, registering a 13-12 record last season. In 2012, the Cougars went 19-7 as Hart was awarded the Pac-12 Conference Women's Tennis Coach of the Year award.
LAST SEASON IN REVIEW: Washington State finished off dual match play with a 13-12 overall record in 2015. The Cougars finished 11th in a competitive Pac-12 conference that had the top nine teams finishing with national rankings. WSU started the spring season national ranked at No. 52 and remained in the ranking through February. Departed from last year's squad is Elizaveta Luzina (26-22 singles record), number three all-time on WSU career singles victories list, and Nastia Vasyukhina (18-24).