In the first action of the spring season for the WSU tennis team, it was all-around domination from the Cougs. Proving that the Cougar pounce is better than the Grizzly bite, WSU took down Montana 7-0 Friday.

The win continues to build on the impressive record the Cougs have accumulated against Montana, now sitting at 16-0 all-time against the program. Friday’s match was the 11th time that the Cougs perfectly swept the team and the eighth time in the last nine matches head-to-head.

Play started with doubles, where the Cougs No. 1 duo of Maxine Murphy and Eva Alvarez Sande won 7-5. At a point, the duo was up 5-2 and after some tough points, it became close. Despite the rough patch, they hung on and clutched up to complete the sweep in doubles action.

The other two duos for WSU had little trouble in their wins. Elyse Tse and Yang Lee were the first to finish, taking a decisive 6-1 victory. 

Fifa Kumhom and Stefaniia Mikhailova, No. 3 doubles for Wazzu, had some back-and-forth points to start their match. Up 3-2, they rattled off three straight to win 6-2. 

In singles matches, the Cougs built off their momentum and the top two for the squad set the tone. No. 1 Murphy and No. 2 Alvarez Sande both went 12-1 overall in their matches, with Murphy winning 6-0, 6-1 and Alvarez Sande winning 6-1, 6-0. 

No. 4 Kumhom also dominated in her match, as after winning the first set 6-2, she jumped out ahead 3-0 and outmatched her opponent. Despite giving up a point, her 6-2, 6-1 win showed promise for the middle of the Cougs’ lineup. 

The other three matches were a different story. While all ended in a win, there were struggles to be had for the players. No. 3 would survive in straight sets 6-4, 7-6 (6), No. 5 Lee would win a marathon of a match 7-5, 3-6, 1-0 (10-2) and finally No. 6 Mikhailova won 6-3, 6-2. 

WSU has over a week off before they play again. Their next match is against Gonzaga at noon Sunday at the Simmelink Tennis Courts at Hollingbery Fieldhouse in Pullman.