MORAGA – After splitting their matches last weekend, the Saint Mary's Women's Tennis team are back on the road as they head to the northwest to face Washington State and Eastern Washington.
 
THE DETAILS
Saint Mary's (2-3) at Washington State (5-4)
Saturday, February 25 at 11 AM
Simmelink Tennis Courts – Pullman, Wash.
Watch
 
Saint Mary's (2-3) at Eastern Washington (2-2)
Sunday, February 26 at 11 AM
Jim Thorpe Fieldhouse – Cheney, Wash.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Gaels came out of last weekend with some positive performances, first beating Sacramento State at home before losing to a talented Stanford team the following day. 
 
Freshman Tian Yu Dong was stellar for the Gaels against Sacramento State, clinching the overall victory for SMC in her three-set thriller against the Hornets Julia Moraes.
 
The two went back and forth all match, as Moraes quickly jumped out to a lead after winning the first set 6-3. Dong was unphased and fought back with a vengeance, winning the second set in a decisive 7-5 tiebreak. Dong rode the momentum the rest of the way, confidently besting the Hornets player in the third set 6-0. 
 
With Dong's win, she clinched the overall victory for the Gaels as well. 
 
Olivia Rook continued her strong play from the weekend prior, clinching her single's win in a tricky second set tiebreak. Despite a strong second set from the Hornets Tsveti Yotova, Rook played confidently in the tiebreak to win the match 6-3, 7-6 (5). 
 
Against Stanford, the Gaels tried their best to hang with some of the best players in the country. 
 
Jordan Harris was the lone Gael to win a set against a Stanford player, as she came out swinging in her match against Alexandra Yepifnova. Although ITA ranks Yepifnova as the #41 ranked player across Division 1 tennis, Harris was unphased, winning the first set 6-4. 
 
Yepifnova fought hard to work herself back into the match, as Harris refused to back down. The Stanford player was able to take the second set 6-2, setting up a pivotal tiebreak to decide the match. 
 
Harris hung with Yepifnova for as long as she could, but a few lucky breaks for the Cardinal player sealed a 10-7 victory in the tiebreak.
 
Although Harris was unable to claim victory, she gave one of the best players in the country a run for her money. Harris' confidence bodes well for her and her Gaels teammates as the season continues to heat up.
 
ABOUT WASHINGTON STATE
The Cougars are led by first year head coach Raquel Atawo, joining Washington State after serving as an assistant coach for Auburn in 2022. So far, Atawo has led the Cougars to 5-4 record to begin the season. The team started off on the front foot, snatching wins against Gonzaga and Montana. The Cougars then dropped their next three, losing to Virginia, Northwestern, and BYU. Since then, they've won three of their last four, grabbing wins over Fresno State, Cal Poly, and Minnesota. 
 
ABOUT EASTERN WASHINGTON
The Eagles head coach Dustin Hinson enters 2023 in his 11^th season in charge of the program. Eastern Washington have started the season at an even 2-2. They've picked up wins against SeattleU and Whitman College, while dropping two matches against Colorado and Portland. Last season, the Eagles went 4-12 overall, and 3-5 in the Big Sky Conference.