Cougars Head to Seattle For Pair of Weekend Matches

Friday, February 27

Seattle, Wash.

2 PM

Washington State University

No. 12 Washington

Photo by: Shelly Hanks/WSU Photo Services

February 26, 2026 | Tennis

2026 Tennis Statistics Live Stream in Seattle

By: Washington State Athletic Communications

PULLMAN, Wash. (Feb. 26, 2026) – After capturing three home matches last weekend, the Washington State Women's Tennis team returns to the road for a pair of matches in Seattle this weekend. The weekend begins Friday, Feb. 27 at No. 12 Washington at 2 p.m. from the Nordstrom Tennis Center. The following day, the Cougars face No. 36 UC Santa Barbara at 1 p.m., also at the Nordstrom Tennis Center.

SCOUTING WASHINGTON: The Huskies enter Friday's match with a 7-0 record and No. 12 national ranking to begin the 2026 seasons. UW has wins over #33 Utah and #30 San Diego in its last two matches. The Huskies have four players currently nationally ranked in Reece Carter (#65), Erika Matsuda (72) Anna-Marie Weissheim (90) and Jermine Sherif (124). Their top doubles team of Matsuda and Carina Syrtveit is ranked No. 80 nationally. Washington leads the all-time series, 54-13.

SCOUTING UC SANTA BARBARA: The Gauchos enter the weekend No. 31 nationally after a 5-5 start this season, including wins over #22 Texas Tech, Florida State and Utah, while three of their losses have come to ranked teams. The Cougars own a 7-3 advantage in the all-time series.

FOLLOW WEEKEND MATCHES IN SEATTLE: For this weekend's matches, fans can follow the live stream by clicking HERE. Live stats for the Washington match can be found HERE, while live stats for the UC Santa Barbara match can be found HERE.

ALVAREZ SANDE OFF TO FAST START: Senior Eva Alvarez Sande is off to a 9-0 start in the dual season, and is 14-5 overall. The nine wins this spring boost her career record to 78-44, a .639 winning percentage.

ALVAREZ SANDE, NAKAGAWA NAMED WCC DOUBLES TEAM OF THE WEEK: Following WSU's trip to Northern California in early February against Sacramento State and UC Davis, the paid of Eva Alvarez Sande and Yura Nakagawa were named the WCC Doubles Team of the Week. The pair went 2-0 in those matches, helping the Cougs capture the doubles point in each.

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 this weekend's matches, the Cougars return to Pullman to face No. 14 Pepperdine and defending WCC champion Pepperdine at Hollingbery Fieldhouse, Tuesday, March 3 at 1 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT: In their last match, the Cougars posted a 6-1 win over Montana State, capping a 3-0 record in three matches last weekend.

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 Haylee 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 THE COUGARS: Keep up with Washington State tennis by following @WSUCougarTennis on Twitter, @wsucougartennis on Instagram, and Washington State Cougar Tennis on Facebook.