ROME, Ga. (May 8, 2025) – Junior Eva Alvarez Sande closed out a straight-set win at No. 1 singles to give No. 57 Washington State a 4-0 victory over North Texas in a semifinal match at the UTR Sports National Invitational Tournament Thursday at the Rome Tennis Center on the Berry College campus.
 
With the win, the Cougars improve to 19-8 on the season and advance to Friday's NIT Championship match where they will face UNC Charlotte, who defeated North Alabama in Thursday's other semifinal.
 
The win over North Texas pushes WSU into the championship match of a postseason tournament for the first time in program history. It also marks the first time WSU has won more that one postseason match in the same tournament.
 
WSU captured the opening doubles point following wins on Courts 1 and 2. On Court 2, WSU's Elyse Tse and Chisato Kanemaki had little trouble with Stadfany Nformi and Stanislava Shulzhenko, riding a break of serve to a 6-3 victory. North Texas responded by winning at No. 3 when Marina Adati and Carolina Laydner defeated Hania Abouelsaad and Martina Puvill, 6-3, pushing the deciding match to Court 1. There, WSU's duo of Eva Alvarez Sande and Maxine Murphy, ranked No. 61 nationally, used a late break of serve to defeat Lilly Schultz and Lou Chalard, 6-4, giving the Cougars to early 1-0 lead.
 
In singles, Murphy earned a win on Court when Nformi was forced to retire with Murphy leading 6-2, 4-3. Abouelsaad put the Cougars within one win of the team victory as she posted a 6-3, 6-3 win over Chalard at No. 4, setting the stage for Alvarez Sande to clinch the team victory.
 
With the team victory decided, the three remaining matches were stopped. On Court 3, Tse was down a set and on serve, trailing Shulzhenko, 4-6, 5-5. At No. 5, Kanemaki was down against Laydner, 4-6, 3-4, while at No. 6, Puvill was up a break in the third, leading 6-1, 2-6, 2-0.
 
The 2025 UTR Sports NIT championship match against UNC Charlotte will be played Friday at 10 a.m. PT.
 
WASHINGTON STATE TENNIS
#57 Washington State 4 def. North Texas 0
UTR Sports National Invitational Tournament Semifinal
May 8, 2025
Rome Tennis Center at Berry College
Rome, Ga.
 
DOUBLES
No. 1 #61 Eva Alvarez Sande/Maxine Murphy (WSU) def. Lilly Schultz/Lou Chalard (UNT) 6-4
No. 2 Elyse Tse/Chisato Kanemaki (WSU) def. Stadfany Nformi/Stanislava Shulzhenko (UNT) 6-3
No. 3 Marina Adati/Carolina Laydner (UNT) def. Hania Abouelsaad/Martina Puvill (WSU) 6-3
Order of Finish: 2,3,1
 
SINGLES
No. 1 Eva Alvarez Sande (WSU) def. Gianna Pielet (UNT) 7-6 (5), 6-3
No. 2 Maxine Murphy (WSU) def. Stadfany Nformi (UNT) 6-2, 4-3 Ret.
No. 3 Elyse Tse (WSU) vs. Stanislava Shulzhenko (UNT) 4-6. 5-5 DNF
No. 4 Hania Abouelsaad (WSU) def. Lou Chalard (UNT) 6-3, 6-3
No. 5 Chisato Kanemaki (WS) vs. Carolina Laydner (UNT) 4-6, 3-4 DNF
No. 6 Martina Puvill (WSU) vs. Mariina Adati (UNT) 6-1, 2-6, 2-0 DNF
Order of Finish: 2,4,1