This weekend, the WSU tennis team looks to finish its fall season with a strong showing at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Northwest Regional tournament at Stanford.

Teams from the Northwest region include all of Washington, Oregon, parts of Idaho and Northern California. A Cal team that finished last year ranked No. 3, led by No. 7-ranked Marina Cossou, will challenge the Cougars, as will a Stanford team led by the No. 4 player in the nation, Hilary Barte. Stanford ended last year ranked No. 7 in the nation.

Head Coach Lisa Hart noticed the intensity at practice this week as the team prepared for the match.

“We had a really good week of practice.” Hart said. “The girls are obviously excited to compete.” The players are comfortable with the new scenery and change in the level of competition. To them, the regional tournament is just another chance to go out and prove themselves.

“We have practiced the same way as for Boise,” sophomore Ekaterina Kamendova said, referring to last week’s tournament. “We have given a lot of effort and worked hard because this is our last tournament of the fall.” Kamendova competed last year at the tournament, but only won her first match. This year she expects to play longer into the weekend by taking it one match at a time. She has a 6-1 record on the year so far, the second-best on the team.

“I will try to do well. There are a lot of good teams. I want to win the first one and then we will see what happens,” she said.

Freshman Elisabeth Fournier comes into the tournament with a perfect 7-0 record, but has not yet faced a ranked opponent. Unlike Ekaterina, she has never played at the regional tournament, but said her approach to each match will stay the same.

“I just want to be positive and fight for every point like I have all season,” Fournier said.

For Fournier, it is a whole new experience full of new competition and she does not have much of an idea on what to expect when she gets to Stanford. “I haven’t met most of the girls I will face, so I don’t know what to expect,” Fournier said. The Cougars want to improve on their fourth place finish from a year ago, but will be without two key contributors for the weekend. Senior Bianca Selaru and sophomore Livia Gherman are both injured and will not be able to compete.

Hart said that missing the two players will hurt their chances as a team, but said each of her athletes will do well. Competing with only six girls makes each match more important than if they took a full squad of eight.

“We just want to get as many wins as possible and keep improving each game,” Hart said. “I think all of our players can advance far.” The ITA Regional tournament is the last time the team will compete until January, when the dual match season begins. They start their season Jan. 17 with a doubleheader against the Air Force Academy and the University of Idaho.