The WSU tennis (10-8) was coming off a challenging three-game losing streak, on the road. The Cougs had a tough schedule with four back-to-back away games, with three of them resulting in losses by close margins.
The Cougs arrived back home to face Pac-12 No. 3, Stanford Cardinal who looked to be a tough opponent.
Despite their ranking, the Cougs have found great success at home this season with a 4-1 record compared to their 3-6 record on the road. The Cougs looked to make a comeback and an upset against the Cardinal.
The morning started off chilly with light showers, but the clouds parted just in time for the noon match at the outdoor courts. The weather was a beautiful 64 degrees with mild winds, a great day for tennis.
The match began with doubles where the Cougs started off strong and the fans felt the possibility of an upset at their fingertips. However, doubles teams Eva Alvarez Sande and Elyse Tse, and Hania Abouelsaad and Martina Markov lost the first set 7-6 and were unable to recover in the second.
Yura Nakagawa and Fifa Kumhom brought home the only Cougs win of the afternoon with a 6-2 defeat against Stanford’s Angelica Blake and Emma Sun. This doubles team showcased great agility and chemistry that ultimately won them the match.
The Cardinal unfortunately did not have to work as hard to secure the singles victories, as the Cougs struggled with consistency and shifts..
The Cougs all came out of the gates similarly, below peak performance. Each falling in the first set.
WSU’s Martia Markov faced off against Stanford’s India Houghton and struggled to find momentum, but continued to fight. Markov lost the first set 6-2 and the second 6-1.
WSU’s Hania Abouelsaad experienced a similar match against Stanford’s Eleana Yu, the only difference was the scores were reversed. She struggled to keep the ball in and win the long rallies, losing the first set 6-1 and the second set 6-2.
There were a lot of emotions on the court of WSU’s Fifa Kumhom and Stanford’s Valencia Xu. Kumhom followed in Markov’s footsteps, losing the first set 6-2 and losing the second set 6-1.
Yura Nakagawa experienced a nearly identical match as Abouelsaad against Katherine Hui as she lost the first set 6-1 and the second set 6-2.
Elyse Tse lost the first to Alexandra Yepifanova 6-0 but began to find some momentum early into the second. After multiple mis-hits and struggles with the net, Yepifanova came back and won 6-4.
Eva Alvarez Sande had an exciting match against Connie Ma, keeping the fans on their toes.
Alvarez Sande started off slow losing the first set 6-2 but gained momentum with her strong serves and forehand groundstrokes, winning the second set 6-3 and bringing them to a tiebreaker.
She won the first 3 points in the tie-breaker but then fell to 3-9 and ultimately 4-10. The nerves seemed to get the best of her. Alvarez Sande fought to the end, but Ma’s consistency left her with the victory.
The Cougs’ 7-0 loss to Stanford brings them to their fourth consecutive loss. The Cougs gave it all they got on the court, but Stanford’s ball speed and placement were too tough in the end.
The Cougs continued their home stretch with a 6-1 loss to the California Golden Bears.
