THIS WEEK: No. 57 Washington State brings a 17-6, 2-5 Pac-12 record into this week's matches against No. 1 California and No. 19 Stanford. The Cougars begin play against California Friday, April 8, at 1:30 p.m., and celebrate Senior Day hosting Stanford, Saturday, April 9, at 10 a.m. Senior Day festivities start at 9:30 a.m. Both matches will be played at the WSU Outdoor Tennis Courts.
LAST TIME OUT: The No. 57 Washington State tennis team fell in both matches against the Arizona schools last weekend. Washington State began play on Friday against Arizona, losing the match 5-2. On Saturday, the Cougars found themselves on the losing-side of a 6-1 match against No. 26 Arizona State. Both showdowns in the desert featured a trio of three-set matches.
COUGARS RANKED IN ITA POLL: With a 17-6 record, Washington State checks in at No. 57 in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association poll. WSU reached a high of No. 40 earlier this season.
BASHOTA MAKES HISTORY: Sophomore Donika Bashota recently cemented her place in the Washington State tennis record books. With a total of 34 victories, Bashota moves past Elisabeth Fournier (2012) on the single-season singles wins list. She passed her 31 wins from last season, which was a WSU freshman record. Furthermore, Bashota's 34-8 record, including a 17-6 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's win last weekend over #66 Kassidy Jump of Arizona State moved her into a tie for sixth on the WSU all-time wins list. She sits even with Andjela Kankaras (2009-13) and Erica Perkins (1998-02) on the list. The Moscow, Russia, native has accrued 87 victories at Washington State, needing only three more wins to tie Ekaterina Burduli (2004-08) for fifth on the all-time wins list.
SINGLE-SEASON WINS WATCH: Along with sophomore Donika Bashota, three other Cougars have entered the WSU single-season victories record book. Seniors Maria Biryukova and Trang Huynh have both accrued 30 victories this season. Biryukova matches her win total from last season. Biryukova and Huynh both move into a tie for fifth on the list. Freshman Aneta Miksovska has garnered 28 victories on the year, moving into a five-player tie for seventh on the list. She sits even with Ekaterina Burduli (2008), Erin Majury (1983), Ksenia Googe (2012), and current teammate Victoria Matejevic, who won 28 matches last season.
ALL-TIME AGAINST CALIFORNIA: Washington State will square off against No. 1 California for the 20th time since 1994. The Cougars are 1-18 all-time against the Golden Bears.
ALL-TIME AGAINST STANFORD: Washington State will face No. 19 Stanford for the 23rd time since 1993. The Cougars are winless against the Cardinal in 22 matches.
COUGARS IN THE REGIONAL RANKINGS: In the first regional rankings of the year, Donika 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 Huynh, 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 171 wins over her tenure. In 2012, the Cougars went 19-7 as Hart was awarded the Pac-12 Conference Women's Tennis Coach of the Year award.
COVERAGE: Fans can follow the Cougars all season long with live stats at www.wsu.statbroadcast.com.