Cougar tennis looks to knock off rival No. 13 UW
Huskies come to Pullman hoping to improve 22-5 all-time mark over WSU
JACQUI THOMASSON | DAILY EVERGREEN FILE
Sophomore Michaela Bayerlova watches the ball approach her racket April 12 at Hollingbery Fieldhouse.
April 18, 2019
No. 35 WSU tennis will host rival No. 13 UW on Saturday at Hollingbery Fieldhouse.
The highly anticipated matchup will be the last contest of the regular season for both teams before they compete in the Pac-12 Championships on Wednesday in Ojai, California.
The all-time record between these two rivals is quite lopsided. The Cougars (18-8, 3-6) are 5-22 against the Huskies (17-3, 7-2) with all of their wins coming at home. WSU has also lost the past four matchups.
Head Coach Lisa Hart said she is looking forward to celebrating Aneta Miksovska and Tiffany Mylonas on senior day and a competitive match against the Huskies.
“Our two seniors have meant so much to our program,” Hart said. “Everyone wants to get a win for them, especially on senior day, so hopefully it will be a good battle, and hopefully we’ll come out on top.”
The Cougars have moved up in the national rankings thanks to a 4-2 upset home win over No. 10 UCLA last Friday, which is their highest ranked win ever. This was only WSU’s second win ever in 26 matches against the Bruins.
They weren’t able to follow up the performance with another ranked victory as they fell to then-No. 13 USC 4-1 on Sunday.
Miksovska said the Cougars are playing at a high level right now and are well-equipped to take down UW.
“We beat UCLA, so we’re ready for the Huskies,” Miksovska said. “I feel like this is the day. Throughout my four years, this is the time when I’ve seen us play our best tennis, so I’m just excited to beat them at home.”
Miksovska and Mylonas have both improved over the past four years, but so have the Huskies. UW only has three losses this season after holding records of 14-10, 15-8 and 12-10 heading into matches with the Cougars the past three years.
The Huskies are coming off one of their only losses this season, falling to No. 10 UCLA 4-1 on Sunday after taking down then-No. 13 USC 4-2 last Friday.
Each of these teams are looking for a bounce-back win after recent losses and the excitement of the Apple Cup rivalry only increases the stakes of this match.
The battle will commence noon Saturday at Hollingbery Fieldhouse.
