Washington State University Athletics
Photo by: Dean Hare/WSU Photo Services
Alvarez Sande Named WCC Player of the Year, Murphy Repeats on Singles and Doubles First Team
April 21, 2026 | Tennis
SAN BRUNO, Calif. (April 21, 2026) – Senior Eva Alvarez Sande was named the 2026 West Coast Conference Co-Player of the Year, highlighting three Washington State tennis players to garner first-team accolades, the conference announced Tuesday.
In addition to her Player of the Year honor, Alvarez Sandez was named to the 2026 All-West Coast Conference Singles first team, while redshirt-senior Maxine Murphy was also a first-team singles selection while also earning first-team doubles honors with sophomore Chisato Kanemaki.
Alvarez Sande, a senior from Coruna, Galicia, Spain, has posted a team-leading 20-6 record in singles, including a 14-1 dual mark, including a 5-0 record in WCC play as she garnered first-team honors in singles. She went 12-1 at No. 1 singles and 3-0 at No. 2, including a 3-1 record against nationally-ranked players. This marks the second-straight season Alvarez Sande has been a first-team singles selection.
Murphy, a redshirt-senior from Laguna Niguel, Calif., also was named to the All-WCC first team for the second-straight season after compiling a 20-9 singles record, 14-4 in dual matches. She played mainly at No. 2 singles, accumulating a 12-3 mark, also going 2-1 at No. 1. Murphy was 6-1 in WCC play.
WSU's No. 1 doubles team of Murphy and Kanemaki posted a 12-9 overall record, all matches coming at the No. 1 doubles spot. The duo, which captured one Doubles Team of the Week honor this spring, enters this week's WCC Championship having won five of it's last seven conference matches.
The Cougars will be the No. 3 seed when the WCC Championships begin this Thursday in Fairfield, Calif. WSU will face No. 6 Santa Clara at 6 p.m. at the Green Valley Country Club. The Cougars defeated Santa Clara, 4-2, last Thursday in Santa Clara, Calif.
In addition to her Player of the Year honor, Alvarez Sandez was named to the 2026 All-West Coast Conference Singles first team, while redshirt-senior Maxine Murphy was also a first-team singles selection while also earning first-team doubles honors with sophomore Chisato Kanemaki.
Alvarez Sande, a senior from Coruna, Galicia, Spain, has posted a team-leading 20-6 record in singles, including a 14-1 dual mark, including a 5-0 record in WCC play as she garnered first-team honors in singles. She went 12-1 at No. 1 singles and 3-0 at No. 2, including a 3-1 record against nationally-ranked players. This marks the second-straight season Alvarez Sande has been a first-team singles selection.
Murphy, a redshirt-senior from Laguna Niguel, Calif., also was named to the All-WCC first team for the second-straight season after compiling a 20-9 singles record, 14-4 in dual matches. She played mainly at No. 2 singles, accumulating a 12-3 mark, also going 2-1 at No. 1. Murphy was 6-1 in WCC play.
WSU's No. 1 doubles team of Murphy and Kanemaki posted a 12-9 overall record, all matches coming at the No. 1 doubles spot. The duo, which captured one Doubles Team of the Week honor this spring, enters this week's WCC Championship having won five of it's last seven conference matches.
The Cougars will be the No. 3 seed when the WCC Championships begin this Thursday in Fairfield, Calif. WSU will face No. 6 Santa Clara at 6 p.m. at the Green Valley Country Club. The Cougars defeated Santa Clara, 4-2, last Thursday in Santa Clara, Calif.
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