SPOKANE, Wash. — The spring season has begun for Eastern Washington women's tennis as the Eagles had a short road trip to Spokane for its first dual match. Eastern faced Gonzaga at The Stevens Center, dropping the match 7-0. 

"We always know coming to Gonzaga that we're going to play some tough, close battles," head coach Dustin Hinson said. "I think we learned a lot in doubles. Gonzaga did a good job of being pretty aggressive early with their movement, but we can definitely learn from that. We made some adjustments during the matches and I think that will help going forward."

The 'Zags opened the match with two wins in doubles to lead 1-0 against Eastern. Gonzaga picked up quick wins in Singles at No. 4, 5, and 6. The three wins secured the 'Zags match win. 

"We split sets on singles at No. 2 and 3 with Leandra [Nizetic] and Veronika [Gayevyk]. At No. 1, Anait [Arutiunian] was really close to winning the second set to split. We're definitely going to learn from this first match of the season," Hinson added. "There was a lot to build on and get better at making adjustments. That will help us find a way to come out on top. Gonzaga did a better job of that today."

Leandra Nizetic won the first set against Diana Yanotovskaya 6-1 at the No. 2 singles. Nizetic then dropped the second set, 6-3. Yanotovskaya clinched the match with a 10-6 win in the extra set. At No. 3 singles, Veronika Gayevyk also started fast against Rose Hayes, winning the first set 6-2. Hayes would take the second set 6-1, before winning the third set 6-1 as well.

Anait Arutiunian pushed Emily Robertson in the second set of their match, but ultimately dropped the set, 7-6. Robertson won the match in two sets, after winning the first set 6-1.

"We need to make adjustments in the match and know that we have to sometimes look to win in a way that isn't the most comfortable," Hinson continued. "At the end of the day, that will give us the best chance to come out on top. We'll learn and move forward next week into our exhibition match on Thursday and the LC State in Lewiston on Saturday."

Results
Singles
No. 1 Emily Robertson (Gonzaga) def. Anait Arutiunian (EWU) 6-1, 7-6
No. 2 Diana Yanotovskaya (Gonzaga) def. Leandra Nizetic (EWU) 1-6, 6-3, 10-6
No. 3 Rose Hayes (Gonzaga) def. Veronika Gayevyk (EWU) 2-6, 6-1, 6-1
No. 4 Elizabeth Tindera (Gonzaga) def. Zoe Pradel (EWU) 6-2, 6-3
No. 5 Sveva Zerpelloni (Gonzaga) def. Olivia Marais (EWU) 6-3, 6-2
No. 6 Brooke Bittner (Gonzaga) def. Aneliss Zamfirescu (EWU) 6-2, 6-3

Doubles
No. 1 Emily Robertson/Elizabeth Tindera (Gonzaga) def. Olivia Marais/Zoe Pradel (EWU) 6-2
No. 2 Rose Hays/Sveva Zerpelloni (Gonzaga) vs. Anait Arutiunian/Sara Vasic (EWU) 4-2 UF
No. 3 Brooke Bittner/Diana Yanotovskaya (Gonzaga) def. Maria Lopez/Leandra Nizetic (EWU) 6-1

Up Next
Eastern Washington hosts Calgary next Thursday (Jan. 22) for an exhibition match, with first serve at 9 a.m.
 

---

Join the Eagle Athletic Fund for as low as $50 per year! Support Eagle student-athletes on and off the field while enjoying exclusive EAF perks such as season ticket and tailgating priority, invitations to special events, exclusive access and more. Visit goeags.com/eaf for more information.

ABOUT EASTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS
Eastern Washington University Athletics sponsors 14 intercollegiate sports, six for men and eight for women, both as learning opportunities for its most athletically talented students and as an enhancement to student and community life. Eastern is affiliated with Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and is a member of the Big Sky Conference, an association of 10 regional schools with comparable enrollments and academic goals.

FOLLOW THE EAGLES
SOCIAL: Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram