With sophomore Donika Bashota paving the way for the women’s tennis team, the Cougars come up against familiar foes Idaho and Montana State on Friday.

When Idaho and Montana competed in the Big Sky Conference last year, Idaho finished with 15-9 overall, 10-1 in conference play. Montana State finished 9-13 overall, 4-7 in conference play.

With their impressive form last year, Idaho made the NCAA tournament where they faced UCLA in the first round and were defeated 4-0. Seniors Belen Barcenilla and Rita Bermudez and sophomore Lucia Badillos are the remaining players from the team who lost to UCLA last year.

{{tncms-asset app=”editorial” id=”8dc9a3f2-bb4c-11e5-9b29-973cfe9ab3d9″}}

Bashota was able to win her first two matches last week before losing in the finals to Texas Tech’s Gabriel Tabala. Bashota’s play in the fall earned her No. 83 in the country and No. 6 in the region after finishing 15-1 in the fall. Senior Trang Huynh earned herself a No. 15 regional ranking after finishing 11-6 in the fall.

The Cougars finished last year with a 13-12 record in dual match play. Dual match play consists of facing two other universities in the same day. Although the Cougars finished in 11th in the Pac-12, the competition they faced was unparalleled. The top nine teams in the Pac-12 finished the year inside the Top 25. With four Pac-12 teams ranked in the top 25 as of Jan. 5, the preseason matches will help the Cougars work out any mistakes before the important season play starts.

Head Coach Lisa Hart is in her 13th season as head coach of the women’s tennis team. After posting a 19-7 record in 2012, the Cougars have the chance to up their performance last year. With her leadership, the three seniors on the roster and experienced players who have already played in Pac-12 competition, the Cougars have the right ingredients to surprise the Pac-12 and make a name for themselves.

The Cougars play Montana State at 11 a.m. and Idaho at 5 p.m. on Friday. Both matches are at Hollingbery Fieldhouse.

Reporting by Alex Payton