The road trip is not finished for the women of WSU tennis. There are two more matches on the schedule in Nebraska before the team returns back to Pullman to finish preparation for Pac-12 Conference play.

WSU tennis (4-3, 0-0 Pac-12) will play two matches against tough Big Ten Conference schools Friday and Saturday to prove their worth. 

First up is Nebraska (5-1, 0-0 Big Ten) at 1 p.m. Friday, then Minnesota (4-2, 0-0 Big Ten) at 9 a.m. Saturday. Both matches will be played on the Sid and Hazel Dillon Tennis Center courts in Lincoln, Nebraska. 

Against Nebraska, the Cougs are 1-2 all-time in three matches. Most recently, the two programs played in 2019 on the very same court they will play Friday. In that match, WSU came out on top 4-1 for their only win against the program. 

It is the opposite against Minnesota, as the Cougs are 2-1 in three all-time matches, but lost the most recent duel. In 2022, the Golden Gophers played WSU in Salt Lake City Utah and came out on top 5-2. 

In that match, then No. 3 Maxine Murphy came out on top in her match 6-4, 7-5, a silver lining for the Cougs as they prepare for two matches over the weekend. 

Both Nebraska and Minnesota are formidable opponents that will be tough tasks for the entire Cougs roster, however, the only ranked player coming into the match hails from WSU. Murphy comes in ranked in the top 125 players, with no one from the Cornhuskers or Golden Gophers holding the same distinction.