WSU tennis falls to Oregon on Senior Day 

Yang Lee receives recognition for her time with the Cougs 

COLE QUINN

WSU tennis player Yang Lee hits the ball during an NCAA match against Montana, Jan, 13.

BRANDON WILLMAN, Multimedia editor

On the final home match of the season, WSU tennis recognized their sole senior, Yang Lee and her contributions to the program. Lee received flowers and applause, as well as hugs from all her Coug teammates in her recognition.

After all matches were played, the final score was not what the Cougs wanted in their final appearance on their home court.

WSU (7-9, 0-5 Pac-12) lost to No. 41 Oregon (11-4, 4-1) by a 5-2 final score, marking their fifth consecutive Conference loss. The Cougs failed to win a Pac-12 match at home in the 2023 season.

The 2 points scored matched the season-high in the conference play, proving that there is still a gap between the Cougs and the rest of the Conference.

Winning those 2 points for WSU were two freshmen as Eva Alvarez Sande and Yura Nakagawa came away with victories at the No. 1 and No. 2 spots. Alvarez Sande won her match 6-2, 7-6 (5) and Nakagawa came away victorious 6-2, 3-1 ret.

In the final home match of her WSU career, Lee played alongside Nakagawa on court No. 2 but fell to the Ducks duo by a final score of 6-2.

Coming away with the only victory in doubles, the recently ranked No. 38 Alvarez Sande and Elyse Tse duo won 6-2, improving their season record to an impressive 8-0.

Although this season has been filled with tough breaks, the young stars have shown to be extremely productive on the top courts. A healthy Maxine Murphy alongside continuously improving Alvarez Sande and Nakagawa will lead a much-improved team in 2024.

However, the 2023 season is far from over, WSU has five upcoming road matches to close out Conference play.

First up, at noon Friday, WSU travels to Boulder, Colorado to take on the Buffaloes at the CU Tennis Complex.