Four-and-a-half months removed from fall competition and with a winter of both water and dry land training in its back pocket, the ninth-ranked WSU women’s rowing team is geared up to get its spring season of competition underway Friday.

The No. 10 Cougs will head 75 miles north to Silver Lake in Spokane for their first regatta of the spring opposite friendly rival No. 18 Gonzaga. The regatta will also mark the first time in the 2015-2016 season WSU will be racing its varsity eight boat among others.

“We just want to be confident going in, not cocky,” senior Savannah Davison said. “There is a big difference. I think confidence is just knowing that we’re going to perform our best no matter what. We know that Gonzaga is not just some random team. They’re really competitive as well, and they like to race us, and we like to race them. It’s always a good competition.”

Slotted at No. 10 in the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA) preseason poll, WSU was given its highest preseason ranking since 2007 when it came in to start the spring season at eighth. The ranking marks the 80th-consecutive week WSU has been in the top-20 poll, dating back to March 15, 2008, yet the accolade is not at the forefront of the team’s mentality entering Friday’s regatta.

The Bulldogs handily defeated Oregon State team in a dual regatta last weekend in which they placed the fastest boat in every race. Close to WSU in the national rankings and a pioneer of the passionate rowing community in eastern Washington, Gonzaga is not a team the Cougs are prepared to overlook.

“They swept, they won every race against Oregon State,” WSU Head Coach Jane LaRiviere said in a press conference Tuesday. “They are not to be taken lightly. So we’re excited to be able to test ourselves early and we’re excited to be able to sleep in our own beds the night before, and then just take a bus up on Friday and row.”

WSU and Gonzaga faced off against each other several times throughout the fall season in a more informal setting at longer distances and with a wider range of boats entered, called head races. Though none of the past race results will matter come Friday afternoon, the two teams’ fastest boats often finished within seconds of one another, epitomizing the closeness in competition this regatta will yield.

Because nothing is set in stone until Friday morning when the boats are officially entered to race, LaRiviere did not disclose any of the names she expects to be included in the varsity eight crew but did indicate it likely will be laden with upperclassmen.

LaRiviere said the varsity eight boat is expected to be all upperclassmen at this point with the exception of sophomore Emily Morrow.

Having been back on the water since Feb. 1, coaches and rowers have indicated the team is collectively ready to see where it stands versus close competition and gather information on each boat to look at Saturday morning.

“We got a lot more mileage in than we did in the past,” senior Morgan Cathrea said of the team’s training regime. “It shows that we’re improving each year. It’s really great to know that everyone else sees us as a threat.”

With training measurements and times not being indicative of how a crew performs together when racing, LaRiviere attested to the notion that the team will find out how strong it really is and whether or not the preseason poll is any good after Friday’s regatta and following the San Diego Crew Classic, which runs from April 2-3. WSU will race several schools listed in the preseason top-20 in San Diego, including No. 2 California and No. 7 Texas.

The immediate focus, however, is on Gonzaga and the continued march toward May and the Pac-12 and NCAA Championships in Gold River, California.

Friday’s regatta is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. Results and recap can be found at wsucougars.com following the conclusion of the races.