It is the most wonderful time of the year; Pac-12 Conference play is set to begin for tennis. The Cougs are riding high off a multi-match win streak — momentum they certainly need if they want to start Conference play strong. 

No. 69 WSU tennis (7-4, 0-0 Pac-12) starts Conference play against the two big bad California Schools, both highly regarded in early season rankings based on rather impressive results. 

First, the Cougs take on No. 24 USC (6-2, 0-0), who feature one of the best rotations of singles competitors in the entire nation. That fact becomes even scarier as Wazzu’s No. 1, Maxine Murphy, was forced to retire in her most recent match from an injury. 

It is unclear what condition Murphy will be in for the match, but it will certainly be a key talking point as the match draws closer. 

USC has five ranked players in singles and two ranked duos. No. 4 Madison Sieg, No. 24 Eryn Cayetano, No. 43 Snow Han, No. 111 McKenna Koenig and No. 124 Emma Charney make up the ranked singles competitors. The duos of No. 19 Naomi Cheong/Han and No. 29 Cayetano/Sieg make it so the Trojans are extraordinarily well-rounded.

Between the two programs, USC holds the all-time advantage, winning 19 of 21 matches. However, in the four most recent matches, the two programs have split victories, each winning one and losing one on their home courts. 

There is a lot that points in the Trojans’ favor to take the victory, but anything can happen in the Palouse early stages of the season. 

After WSU takes on USC, they have No. 59 UCLA (3-2, 0-0) coming to town. The Bruins had multiple matches canceled earlier this season, which could prove to be costly against a tough Cougar team. 

For this matchup, three Bruins are ranked in singles; No. 57 Fangran Tian, No. 64 Ava Catanzarite and No. 84 Kimmi Hance. As for doubles, Hance/Elise Wagle is currently ranked as the No. 6 combination in the country.

The 2023 season has not been the strongest for the Bruins, but with several dominant singles competitors and one of the best duos in the country, they remain highly ranked. 

As for program history, UCLA has claimed victory in 23 of 25 matches, while holding a four-match win streak against the Cougs. Competition is no joke in the Pac-12, but there is a world where the Cougs can find one if not both wins over the weekend. 

Expectations are high, but the team is still young and is looking to build confidence and experience as the season moves into the thick of competitive play, something that these Cougs excel at. 

The first match is set for noon Friday on the Simmelink Tennis Courts in Pullman. This match will be streamed on the WSU Live Stream. The second match of the weekend is set for 11 a.m. Sunday on the WSU Outdoor Tennis Courts, pending any weather complications.