PULLMAN, Wash. – Washington State Tennis captured the opening doubles point then took five of six singles matches en route to a 6-1 win over Montana Saturday afternoon at the Simmelink Tennis Courts at Hollingbery Fieldhouse. With the win, WSU improves to 6-2 on the season while Montana falls to 1-7.
 
The day began with doubles and the Cougars quickly jumped ahead as the No. 3 duo of Hania Abouelsaad and Martina Markov posted a 6-3 victory over Rosie Sterk and Grace Haugen. At No. 1, WSU's Eva Alvarez Sande and Elyse Tse clinched the opening point as they defeated Kelsey Phillips and Hailey Murphy, 6-3. That match was followed quickly by the Cougar pair of Yura Nakagawa and Fifa Kumhom's 6-3 win over Maria Goheen and Olivia Oosterbaan at No. 2, making it a clean sweep.
 
In singles play, Tse wasted no time in extending the Cougar lead as she completed a 6-0, 6-3 win over Oosterbaan at No. 4. Montana earned its lone win of the day at No. 2 as Murphy led from start to finish in a 6-2, 6-3 win over Nakagawa. WSU's lead increased to 3-1 when Alvarez Sande completed a 6-4, 6-3 win over Phillips at No. 1. The Cougar sophomore won the final four games of the match to seal the win.
 
The clinching match came at No. 3 where Kumhom, who earlier in the day captured her 50th career doubles win at WSU, sealed a 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 win over Goheen, giving WSU a 4-1 lead with two matches remaining. At No. 6, Markov rolled through Shivika Agrawal, 6-0, 6-1 while Abouelsaad battled back from a set down to defeat Sterk, 4-6, 7-5, 1-0 (10-7) at No. 5.
 
The Cougars are next in action Friday when they face Gonzaga in Spokane. Match time is set for 3 p.m.
 
WASHINGTON STATE TENNIS
Washington State 6 def. Montana 1
February 24, 2024
Simmelink Tennis Courts at Hollingbery Fieldhouse
Pullman, Wash.
 
DOUBLES
No. 1 Eva Alvarez Sande/Elyse Tse (WSU) def. Kelsey Phillips/Hailey Murphy (UM) 6-3
No. 2 Yura Nakagawa/Fifa Kumhom (WSU) def. Maria Goheen/Olivia Oosterbaan (UM) 6-3
No. 3 Hania Abouelsaad/Martina Markov (WSU) def. Rosie Sterk/Grace Haugen (UM) 6-3
Order of Finish: 3,1,2
 
SINGLES
No. 1 Eva Alvarez Sande (WSU) def. Kelsey Phillips (UM) 6-4, 6-3
No. 2 Hailey Murphy (UM) def. Yura Nakagawa (WSU) 6-2, 6-3
No. 3 Fifa Kumhom (WSU) def. Maria Goheen (UM) 6-2, 3-6, 6-2
No. 4 Elyse Tse (WSU) def. Olivia Oosterbaan (UM) 6-0, 6-3
No. 5 Hania Abouelsaad (WSU) def. Rosie Sterk (UM) 4-6, 7-5, 1-0 (10-7)
No. 6 Martina Markov (WSU) def. Shivika Agrawal (UM) 6-0, 6-1
Order of Finish: 4,2,1,3,6,5