THIS WEEK: Washington State Tennis (10-6, 1-4) concludes its regular-season road schedule when it travels to the desert this weekend for a pair of Pac-12 matches. The Cougars open the weekend at No. 38 Arizona State, Friday, April 5 at 1:30 p.m. at the Whiteman Tennis Center. The following day, WSU heads to Tucson to face No. 43 Arizona in an 11 a.m. match at the LaNelle Robson Tennis Center.
SCOUTING ARIZONA STATE: The No. 38 Sun Devils enter Friday's match with a 9-8 overall record, 1-4 in Pac-12 play. ASU have not played since a 4-0 win at Oregon, March 22, its lone Pac-12 win this season. Giulia Morlet leads two players in the ITA rankings at No. 79 in singles, while the duo of Patricia Spaka and Chelsea Fontenel are currently ranked No. 34. The Sun Devils hold a 28-1 advantage in the all-time series. Live stats for the ASU match can be found HERE.
SCOUTING ARIZONA: Arizona enters Saturday's match with a 12-9 overall record, 1-4 in Pac-12 play, to go with its No. 43 national ranking. It's its last outing, Arizona posted a 4-2 win at Oregon for its first Pac-12 win of 2024. Sophomore Reece Carter is ranked No. 111 nationally and is 7-7 at the No. 1 spot. The Wildcats hold a 22-7 lead in the all-time series. Live stats for the Arizona match can be found HERE.
LAST TIME OUT: The Cougars dropped a close, 4-3 decision at Oregon last Sunday in Eugene. After surrendering the opening doubles point, WSU claimed the top three singles match but fell in three sets at No. 5 and 6 as the Ducks prevailed.
NEXT UP: Following this weekend's match, the Cougars begin a three-match homestand Friday, April 12 against Stanford to end the regular season.
NET POINTS
HOLLINGBERY RENOVATION: The Simmelink Tennis Courts at Hollingbery Fieldhouse underwent a renovation in December of 2023. A new playing surface was installed along with branded backdrops around the four courts.
ROSTER BREAKDOWN: For the 2023-24 season the Cougars will have one new player accompanying the seven returners. The roster consists of seniors Fifa Kumhom and Hania Abouelsaad, juniors Maxine Murphy and Elyse Tse, along with sophomores Eva Alvarez Sande, Yura Nakagawa and Tiffany Phout. Freshman Martina Markov joins the Cougar lineup this season.
COACH RAQUEL ATAWO: Raquel Atawo is in her third season as head coach of the Cougars after being named to the position July 2, 2021. Atawo arrived in Pullman having spent the 2021 season as the assistant coach at Auburn and prior to that, spent 15 years on the WTA Tour, where she reached a No. 10 world ranking in doubles.
FOLLOW THE COUGARS: Keep up with Washington State tennis by following @WSUCougarTennis on Twitter, @wsucougartennis on Instagram, and Washington State Cougar Tennis on Facebook.
SCOUTING ARIZONA STATE: The No. 38 Sun Devils enter Friday's match with a 9-8 overall record, 1-4 in Pac-12 play. ASU have not played since a 4-0 win at Oregon, March 22, its lone Pac-12 win this season. Giulia Morlet leads two players in the ITA rankings at No. 79 in singles, while the duo of Patricia Spaka and Chelsea Fontenel are currently ranked No. 34. The Sun Devils hold a 28-1 advantage in the all-time series. Live stats for the ASU match can be found HERE.
SCOUTING ARIZONA: Arizona enters Saturday's match with a 12-9 overall record, 1-4 in Pac-12 play, to go with its No. 43 national ranking. It's its last outing, Arizona posted a 4-2 win at Oregon for its first Pac-12 win of 2024. Sophomore Reece Carter is ranked No. 111 nationally and is 7-7 at the No. 1 spot. The Wildcats hold a 22-7 lead in the all-time series. Live stats for the Arizona match can be found HERE.
LAST TIME OUT: The Cougars dropped a close, 4-3 decision at Oregon last Sunday in Eugene. After surrendering the opening doubles point, WSU claimed the top three singles match but fell in three sets at No. 5 and 6 as the Ducks prevailed.
NEXT UP: Following this weekend's match, the Cougars begin a three-match homestand Friday, April 12 against Stanford to end the regular season.
NET POINTS
- Junior Elyse Tse holds an 12-3 singles record in dual matches, tops on the team
- Tse and sophomore Eva Alvarez Sande are 11-4 in dual matches, all at No. 1 doubles
- WSU has played just five home matches so far this season, compared to 11 away from Pullman
HOLLINGBERY RENOVATION: The Simmelink Tennis Courts at Hollingbery Fieldhouse underwent a renovation in December of 2023. A new playing surface was installed along with branded backdrops around the four courts.
ROSTER BREAKDOWN: For the 2023-24 season the Cougars will have one new player accompanying the seven returners. The roster consists of seniors Fifa Kumhom and Hania Abouelsaad, juniors Maxine Murphy and Elyse Tse, along with sophomores Eva Alvarez Sande, Yura Nakagawa and Tiffany Phout. Freshman Martina Markov joins the Cougar lineup this season.
COACH RAQUEL ATAWO: Raquel Atawo is in her third season as head coach of the Cougars after being named to the position July 2, 2021. Atawo arrived in Pullman having spent the 2021 season as the assistant coach at Auburn and prior to that, spent 15 years on the WTA Tour, where she reached a No. 10 world ranking in doubles.
FOLLOW THE COUGARS: Keep up with Washington State tennis by following @WSUCougarTennis on Twitter, @wsucougartennis on Instagram, and Washington State Cougar Tennis on Facebook.