CHENEY, Wash. – Concluding a successful and nail-biting end to the season, which included an unusual and divided league set-up, the attention now leans towards the 2021 Big Sky Women's Tennis Championship for the Eastern Washington University women's tennis squad as they go toe-to-toe with Weber State this Saturday (May 1) at 8 a.m. Pacific time at the Phoenix Tennis Center in Phoenix, Ariz. After completing a textbook 4-0 finish against conference opponents Idaho and Portland State at home, and Montana State and Montana on the road, the Eagles step towards an exciting battle against the Wildcats, who earned the No.2 seed in the South Division after finding victory over Portland State last week.
"I have had time to reflect on what we have accomplished so far this season. Overall, I'm just amazed at how resilient this Eagle team has been all season long. We have had to endure a lot of tough moments both on and off the court," said head coach
Dustin Hinson. "But we have been able to endure and overcome those things together. We are a team and those tough times have ultimately made us come together for each other and has made our bond even stronger."
This season, the Big Sky Conference is split into a North and South Division with the top two teams in each division earning a postseason berth to the championships. EWU beat out Portland State for the No.1 seed in the North Division after a 5-2 victory over Montana in its last match to finish 8-8 overall. PSU settled for the No.2 seed and will face Northern Arizona who clinched the No. 1 seed in the South Division after an undefeated 3-0 conference record.
This is Eastern Washington's 21st appearance in the Big Sky Championships in program history, and its third-straight. With a win on Saturday, the Eagles will head to their first-ever finals appearance and look to win the first championship title in school history. The Eagles have an overall 3-18 record in the tournament as they compete in only their second Big Sky semifinal match in school history this Saturday. This is the first time EWU has earned the No.1 seed in the tournament as they hold an 0-3 overall record versus No.2 and No.1 seeds in program history.
The Eagles look to continue on a five-match winning streak which dates back to a 7-0 sweep on the road against LC State College back in the middle of March. Along the way,
Renata Gabuzyan has composed a five-match winning streak at the No.5 singles spot while
Yasmin Mansouri has collected a four-match winning streak at No. 6 singles spot.
Louise Waite and
Scout Mathews look to continue on their two-match winning streak at No. 2 doubles, while
Jennifer Kida and Gabuzyan look to progress on their three-match winning streak at No. 3 doubles.
Furthermore, Mathews was selected as the conference tennis Player of the Week (Week 12) after clinching the win against Idaho in EWU's first league match.
"We are battle tested and we are ready for the challenges ahead. I believe in every student athlete I have on this team," added Hinson. "I'm proud to be their coach and to be a part of their journey. I know that this team is ready to empty the tank on Saturday when we face Weber State. It's time to dig deep and finish strong."
The Eagles hold an all-time series program record of 6-19 against Weber State and are 0-2 all-time in the tournament versus the Wildcats, falling 4-3 in their last championship appearance back in April of 2018. The Eagles had previously beaten WSU at home 6-1 five days prior, clinching the third seed for the 2018 conference tournament.
Weber State finished the regular season with a 7-10 overall and 3-2 conference record, defeating conference opponents Montana State, Idaho State and Sac State along the way. The Wildcats are led by Brad Ferreira who enters his sixth season at the helm and his third year as Director of Tennis.
Following the outcome of the match, the Eagles have an opportunity to advance to the championship match in which they will face the winner of PSU versus NAU, which is scheduled for Sunday, May 2 at 8 a.m. PT at the Phoenix Tennis Center in Phoenix, Ariz. The winner of the championships earn the Big Sky's automatic bid to the NCAA Championships.
