Bayerlova, Mylonas and Sato Duo Selected for NCAA Championship
 
PULLMAN, Wash. - Washington State University sophomore tennis player Michaela Bayerlova has been selected to the 2019 NCAA Women's Tennis Championship singles field, the NCAA announced Tuesday. Additionally, WSU's No. 1 doubles team of senior Tiffany Mylonas and freshman Hikaro Sato were named to the 32-team doubles field.
 
Bayerlova, from Krumbach, Germany, has reached her second-straight NCAA Championship, falling in the second round last year to the eventual runner-up. This season she has been equally impressive, accumulating a 22-6 singles record and currently holds a No. 39 national ranking.
 
"I'm so happy for Michaela as well as Tiffany and Hikaru," said WSU Head Coach Lisa Hart. "All three have been tremendous all season. Michaela continues to improve her game and having competed at the NCAAs last season will benefit her greatly this season.
 
"Tiffany and Hikaru have really come on late in the season and developed into one of the top teams in the Pac-12," Hart continued. "Their ability to compete has permeated our lineup and for them to reach the NCAAs is a testament to how hard they have worked this season."
 
This season, Bayerlova is backing up her tremendous freshman campaign with another stellar year. She has posted an 18-4 singles record in dual matches, all at the No. 1 position. Against nationally-ranked players, she is 7-4, which includes three-straight wins over top 50 players, Cal's Julia Rosenqvist (#40), UCLA's Jada Hart (38) and USC's Salma Ewing (46). Three weeks ago, she was named the Pac-12 Player of the Week after wins over UCLA and USC, the first helping WSU to an upset win over NO. 10 UCLA.
 
Bayerlova is the fifth singles player in school history selected for the NCAA Singles Championship.
 
The doubles duo of Mylonas, from Brussels, Belgium, and Sato, from Tokyo, Japan, have combined for a team-best 25-6 doubles record, including a 16-6 dual match record at No. 1. They began the season with a 12-match winning streak, capturing a pair of fall titles, and enter the NCAA tournament playing their best tennis of the season. Over the past eight matches, the pair have gone 5-0 with three matches unfinished. All eight opponents have been ranked in the top 50 and most recently they defeated No. 14 Caroline Lampl and Kimberly Yee of Stanford. The highest win of the season came Apr. 12 when they defeated UCLA's Gabby Andrews and Ayan Broomfield, ranked No. 5. The latest run has seen their national ranking go from 75 in early April to a career-best 41 in the most recent ranking.
 
The last time WSU had a doubles team participate in the NCAA Championship came in 2002 when Erica Perkins and Stacy McKenna were selected. The year prior, McKenna and Ana Moura were selected, the only other time WSU has been represented at the NCAA Doubles Championship.
 
The 2019 NCAA Women's Tennis championship singles and doubles competitions will be held May 20-25 in Orlando, Fla., following the conclusion of the team championship (May 16-19).