WSU tennis (1-0, 0-0 Pac-12) and the Pac-12’s most recent player of the week Maxine Murphy are preparing for their matchup against the Gonzaga Bulldogs (2-0, 0-0 West Coast) Sunday. 

In their most recent matchup, the Cougs continued their undefeated history against Montana in a clean 7-0 win. It was the first action of the spring season and WSU was all-around good. 

However, one Coug stood out above the rest, at least in the eyes of the conference. Sophomore No. 1 Murphy won the conference’s player of the week, the first such award of her young career. 

Against Montana, she won 7-5 in doubles alongside Eva Alvarez Sande and won a clean 6-0, 6-1 in singles action in the No. 1 slot. 

Celebrating the match’s win as a team and the award on an individual level will be short as they prepare for their match against Gonzaga. 

WSU is 11-1 all-time against the Bulldogs, with their sole loss coming in the 2019 season. 

Most recently, the Cougs took down the team 5-2 last season, a match in which the team’s current No. 1 Murphy beat the Zags’ No. 3 3-6, 6-0, 6-3 in an impressive win.  

Gonzaga last season went 8-14 overall and 2-7 in conference play and ended the season with abysmal results. 

WSU also struggled last season. However, they played their best tennis late in the year, which included a win over their ranked rivals, the Washington Huskies. 

The Cougs are favored in the matchup, with recent and overall history being in their favor and their recent showing against Montana proving that they are already warmed up and ready for the season. 

The match is set for noon Sunday at the Simmelink Tennis Courts at Hollingbery Fieldhouse in Pullman and will be live-streamed on the Pac-12 WSU Live Stream.