Cougar tennis’ fast start came to a screeching halt as the team lost two out of three matches this weekend in Houston. The Cougars (7-2) defeated Prairie View A&M Thursday, lost to No. 51 Houston Friday, and closed the trip with a loss to No. 28 Auburn Saturday.

The weekend began on a bright note, as the team swept Prairie View A&M 7-0. The Cougars won each of their two doubles matches in an impressive fashion, before sweeping the Aggies in singles action.

Freshman Donika Bashota and sophomore Victoria Matejevic kept their undefeated doubles season alive by defeating PVAMU sophomores Taylor LeFridge and Stacy Lackey 6-1. The Cougars clinched the doubles point when junior Lize Leenknecht and freshman Grace Lymer-Sullivan swept PVAMU freshman Shaddae Findley and sophomore Sydney Thomas 6-0.

After earning a 1-0 lead, the Cougars kept up their strong play in their singles matches. Junior Maria Biryukova kept her undefeated singles season alive by defeating PVAMU’s LeFridge 6-4, 6-1. Leenknecht extended her own undefeated singles season by defeating PVAMU’s Thomas 6-0, 6-3.

After the team earned a 3-0 lead over the Aggies, Bashota earned a clean sweep when she defeated PVAMU’s Lackey 6-0, 6-0. Bashota’s victory clinched the match for the Cougars and began the weekend on a positive note.

Even after clinching the match, the team stayed in cruise control as freshman Nastia Vasyukhina defeated PVAMU sophomore Maria Lackey 6-0, 6-1 to remain undefeated in singles play. Freshman Holly Monahan earned her first career victory by defeating PVAMU freshman Tatiana Ruhl 6-1, 6-2.

After opening the weekend with the victory, the Cougars struggled in a loss to Houston on Friday. The team lost its first match of the season and has now lost to Houston in consecutive years.

In doubles play, the duo of senior Elizaveta Luzina and Leenknecht lost their first doubles match of the season to UH sophomore Despoina Vogasari and senior Elena Kordolaimi, 2-6. UH clinched the doubles point when sophomore Tina Rupert and junior Maria Cardenas defeated WSU’s Bashota and Matejevic 6-4.

As the match headed to singles action, the Cougars proved to be no match for UH’s nationally-ranked players. Luzina opened with a loss to UH’s No. 21 Vogasari, 7-5, 6-3, to open singles play, while Biryukova lost to UH’s No. 52 Kordolaimi, 7-5, 1-6, 2-6.

The Cougars would earn their first victory of the day when Leenknecht defeated UH junior Rocio Martin in a hard-fought match, 6-2, 5-7 and 7-5. Bashota kept her undefeated singles season alive by defeating UH freshman Mina Markovic, 6-2, 6-4 to keep the Cougars alive, down just 3-2. UH clinched the match when Rupert defeated WSU’s Matejevic, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.

Vasyuchina closed the match with a loss to UH’s Cardenas 6-0, 6-0 to give UH the victory 5-2 over the Cougars.

The team competed against their second ranked opponent in as many days when the Cougars lost to Auburn 6-1 Saturday morning. The team fell behind early by losing the doubles point to the Tigers and never found their form in singles play.

WSU’s Bashota and Matejevic lost a hard-fought match to AU sophomore Reka Muller and senior Jen Pfeifler, 6-4, for the duo’s second loss of the weekend. The Tigers would clinch the doubles point when AU junior Paula de Man and junior Michala Kucharova defeated WSU’s Biryukova and Vasyuchina, 6-4, to give the team a 1-0 lead over the Cougars heading to singles action.

Biryukova opened singles play with an impressive performance against one of the nation’s best college tennis players: No. 36 AU junior Pleun Burgmans. Burgmans would defeat Biryukova in a hard-fought match 6-3, 7-6 (5) to put the Tigers in control.

The Cougars earned their first win of the match when Luzina defeated AU senior Emily Flickinger 6-1, 7-6 (4). The Tigers would clinch the match with back-to-back wins by AU freshman Andie Dikosavljevic and Muller.

After the tough road trip, the Cougars will return home to  face Gonzaga and North Dakota on Feb. 28 at Hollingbery Fieldhouse. The team will compete against the Bulldogs at 11 a.m. and North Dakota at 3 p.m.

Reporting by Curtis Calhoun