PULLMAN, Wash. (Jan. 29, 2026) – The Washington State Women's Tennis team opens its 2026 home schedule Friday, Jan. 30, when it hosts future Pac-12 foe Fresno State at Hollingbery Fieldhouse. The match begins at 4 p.m.
 
SCOUTING FRESNO STATE: The Bulldogs are off to a 3-0 start this season with convincing wins over Fresno Pacific, Pacific and Santa Clara. In its last outing, against Santa Clara, Fresno State captured the opening doubles point then singles matches 2-6 for the 6-1 win. Fresno State leads the all-time series, 13-8, though the Cougars have won the last six meetings, including a 6-1 win last season in San Luis Obispo, Calif.
 
COUGS MISS ITA KICKOFF WEEKEND: Due to expected severe weather this weekend in the southeastern part of the country, Washington State Women's Tennis did not travel to Athens, Ga. for the 2026 ITA Kickoff Weekend Georgia Regional last weekend. The Cougars were scheduled to face San Diego State in the first round while No. 1 Georgia was set to host Maryland. WSU, Maryland and San Diego State all cited safety concerns with travel and elected not to make the trip.
 
COUGARS PICKED THIRD IN WCC PRESEASON POLL: WSU was picked third in the 2026 West Coast Conference Women's Tennis preseason poll, voted on by the conferences' 10 head coaches. Defending champion Pepperdine garnered the top spot in the preseason poll, receiving eight of the 10 first-place votes, to finish ahead of San Diego, which garnered the other two first-place votes. Washington State was third, followed by Loyola Marymount and Gonzaga to round out the top five. Cougar seniors Eva Alvarez Sande and Maxine Murphy were both named to the 2026 WCC Preseason Team, accounting for two of the six members. 
 
NEXT UP: Following Friday's match, the Cougars head to Northern California for a pair of matches. They open at Sacramento State, Friday, Feb. 6, followed by a Saturday (Feb. 7) match at UC Davis.
 
LAST TIME OUT: In their last match, the Cougars opened its 2026 spring schedule with a 6-1 victory at Idaho. WSU captured the opening doubles point and then took five of six singles matches for the 6-1 win.
 
COUGARS TO PLAY IN WEST COAST CONFERENCE: For the 2025-26 seasons, the Cougars will be an affiliate member of the West Coast Conference. When conference realignment impacted the Pac-12 Conference following the 2023-24 season, Cougar Tennis was one of 10 WSU athletic programs to become WCC affiliate members. This season marks the second of two seasons in the WCC before the Pac-12 resumes full-membership status beginning with the 2026-27 season.
 
COUGARS SIGN JOLYNN GARRETT: In early January, Washington State University Tennis announced a new team member, signing 10-year-old JoLynn Garrett through Team IMPACT. JoLynn, who is navigating life with Williams syndrome, officially signed with the team. She will participate in many activities with Washington State Tennis, including games, practices, and other team events, over the next two years.
 
ROSTER BREAKDOWN: For the 2025-26 season, the Cougar roster consists of seniors Maxine Murphy and Eva Alvarez Sande, juniors Yura Nakagawa and Zali Morris, sophomores Chisato Kanemaki, Martina Puvill and Haley Conway, and freshman Ava-Monet Sycamore.
 
HEAD COACH JOSH GRAETZ: Josh Graetz became the program's ninth head coach in the summer of 2025 after spending the previous two seasons as the Cougars' assistant coach. Graetz played a key role in WSU's run to the 2025 National Invitational Tournament title. Prior to WSU, Graetz served as the head coach for both men's and women's programs at Metropolitan State University in Denver, his alma mater.
 
FOLLOW LIVE: For all Cougar home tennis matches at Hollingbery Fieldhouse, live video streams of each match can be found HERE while live scoring is available HERE.
 
FOLLOW THE COUGARS: Keep up with Washington State tennis by following @WSUCougarTennis on Twitter, @wsucougartennis on Instagram, and Washington State Cougar Tennis on Facebook.