Luzina leads Cougs in battle with Broncos
February 27, 2014
The Cougars hit the road hungry for victory as the No. 51 Washington State tennis team (11-2) heads to Boise State today for a match against Broncos (4-4). The tennis team is ready to get back on the grind after a close loss against No. 30 Houston last weekend.
“We are preparing like we always do. Focusing on our strengths and the way in which we compete on match day,” Head Coach Lisa Hart said. “Houston is ranked 30th in the country so that loss doesn’t hurt us. The disappointing thing is we know how close we were to winning, but that is now in the past.”
Last September, Boise State’s tennis team made the trip to Pullman to compete in the Cougar Classic.
In Flight one singles draw, junior Elizaveta Luzina won the championship match when she defeated Boise State’s Teal Vosburgh, 6-4, 6-4. In the semifinals of the Flight one doubles bracket, Luzina and sophomore Lize Leenknecht beat Boise State’s Bobbi Oshiro and Megan LaLone 6-1 before going on to win the championship.
A victory in Boise would help the WSU tennis team reach their goal of being a high caliber nationally ranked program.
“We want to be selected for the NCAA Championships in May and end the season ranked top 30 in the country,” Hart said. “We will need to make another jump in the national rankings to do this but I’m confident in the abilities and desire of this team.”
Luzina was named Pac-12 Player of the Week when she triumphed over Fresno State’s Sophie Watts. Watts was ranked No. 41 in the nation and is the highest ranked player Luzina has faced in her time at WSU.
“Liza has worked extremely hard and has made a significant jump in her tennis within the past 8-12 months. It is great to see her be rewarded for the work she has put in,” Hart said.
With the bar set at a high standard, all cylinders need to be firing for the Cougar tennis team in order to create a powerhouse program.
“They are warriors and on the right day we can beat anybody in the country,” Hart said. “I like the confidence of this group and I like how they fight together on match day. This is a special group and if we continue battling and fighting the way we have been we could produce some fantastic results this season.”
