The Eastern Washington University women's tennis squad is back home to host Whitman this Saturday, Feb. 18 with first serve set for 2 p.m. Pacific Time inside the Jim Thorpe Fieldhouse. The next day on Feb. 19, EWU welcomes Portland for a 10 a.m. PT match time start. The Eagles return to the courts with a 1-1 overall record.
EWU faced Colorado last weekend in Spokane at the Stevens Center and fell 4-0 against the Buffaloes. Highlights saw valiant efforts of
Sara Vasic and
Scout Mathews teaming up at No. 3 doubles to collect four points before falling 6-4. Mathews also fought hard at No. 1 singles but fell short in the second set to end 6-4, 6-1.
SCOUTING WHITMAN
The Blues visit the Eagles holding an overall 1-2 record, with losses to Montana (6-1) and Lewis-Clark State (5-2). EWU leads the series 5-1 over WC and carry a 4-0 winning streak with the last two victories ending 7-0. Additionally, Eastern Washington has only given up two points in its last four fixtures versus Whitman.
At the helm is John Hein who enters his 15
th season with the Blues. In the 2021-22 season, Hein led two players to win the ITA Far West Regional Championships in Angel Le and Arianna Castellanos. Le was named NWC Player of the Year and Castellanos Freshman of the Year.
SCOUTING PORTLAND
The Eagles faced the Pilots last season in Eugene, Ore., and fell 6-1 at the Student Tennis Center. The Eagles only competed in four singles matches, with sophomore
Kenzington Mann collecting a victory at the No. 4 spot in a gripping, three-set tie breaker (7-5, 1-6, 1-0 (8)). In doubles play, the Eagles only participated in two matches, with graduate
Yasmin Mansouri and sophomore
Isabella Foshee teaming up at the No. 1 doubles position and winning 6-3.
The Pilots travel to EWU's home courts holding a 3-2 overall record, with wins over UC Davis (4-3), Nevada (5-2) and Portland State (6-1), and losses to Washington (6-1) and Oregon (6-1). Portland faces Idaho at the Kibbie Dome on Feb. 18 before heading to Cheney the next day.
Portland is led by Filip Zivkovic who was recently promoted to head coach in 2022 after serving the 2021-22 season as the interim head coach. Zivkovic, who served as the assistant coach since 2010, led junior Iva Zelic to a national ranking in singles during the spring of 2022. Zelic won 20 total singles matches and earned All-West Coast Conference second team honors in singles play.
UP NEXT
EWU hits the road on Feb. 24 to take on Washington State in Pullman, Wash., with first serve set for 12 p.m. at the Simmelink Tennis Courts. On Feb. 26, the Eagles return home to welcome Saint Mary's for an 11 a.m. match start.
