Sophomore Donika Bashota has been the No. 1 tennis player for the Cougars this year and has not shown any signs of slowing down.

The regionally-ranked No. 6 tennis player made quick use of her singles match against Montanna State Laura Middel. With few errors, Bashota won her first set 6-0 after double-faulting in the final game of the set. Bashota kept her cool and proceeded to win the next point, taking the first set. The second set was a similar story, where Middel did make Bashota work for some points with rallies reaching up to eight or nine shots before a winner from Bashota. Bashota ended up winning 6-0, 6-1.

The Cougars didn’t falter Friday morning, with every Cougar winning their match against their Montana State opponent.

Seniors Trang Huynh, Maria Biryukova and Lize Leenknecht all won their respective matches without losing more than two games in each set. Leenknecht defeated Montana State’s Molly Crum 6-0, 6-2. Huynh only dropped one game in the first set to beat Naomi Holopainen 6-1, 6-2. Biryukova only allowed Jessica Brycki to get to two games won in both sets, finishing with 6-2, 6-2.

The second match of the day against Idaho was a similar story.

The team that made the NCAA tournament last year left Hollingbery Fieldhouse without a single victory.

Despite winning every match against Idaho, some matches had to be decided by a third set. Bashota, Huynh, freshmen Barbora Michalkova and Aneta Miksovska all won in the third set.

In the doubles competition Miksovska and Michalkova won 6-2 and Huynh and Biryukova won 6-1 meaning that Bashota and Leenknecht did not finish their match.

The Cougars will be back on the tennis court at 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 23, to face Montana. They will begin their second match up of the day at 5 p.m. against Eastern Washington at Hollingberry Fieldhouse.

Reporting by Alex Payton