Cougars Open Spring Season at Weinman Foundation Invitational

(January 4, 2023) THIS WEEK: The Washington State Tennis team begins its 2023 spring schedule as it travels to Honolulu to compete in the 2023 Weinman Foundation Invitational, Jan. 5-7. All matches will be held at the University of Hawaii Tennis Complex
 
2023 WEINMAN FOUNDATION INVITATIONAL FIELD: The Weinman Foundation Invitational is played in a hidden dual format, with singles matches are contested against one school and doubles matches against another. In addition to the Cougars and host Hawaii, No. 12 California, No. 14 USC and No.22 Iowa State are also competing this week.
 
NEXT UP: Following the Weinman Foundation Invitational, the Cougars return home to open its dual match schedule by hosting Montana, Friday, Jan. 13 at 10 a.m. That match will be played at the Simmelink Tennis Courts at Hollingbery Fieldhouse.
 
TSE PICKS UP FIRST ITF WIN: Cougar sophomore Elyse Tse captured her first professional ITF main draw victory late in December when she posted a 6-3, 6-1 win over Taleia Tuatao in the first round of the 25k Tauranga event.
 
ROSTER BREAKDOWN: For the 2022-23 season the Cougars will have three new players to accompany the six returners. The returning roster consists of fifth-year senior Yang Lee, junior Fifa Kumhom and sophomores Hania Abouelsaad, Stefaniia Mikhailova, Maxine Murphy and Elyse Tse. Joining the Cougar tennis program this year are freshmen Eva Alvarez Sande, Yura Nakagawa and Tiffany Phout.
 
COACH RAQUEL ATAWO: Raquel Atawo begins her second season as head coach of the Cougars after being named to the position July 2, 2021. In Atawo’s first year leading Washington State Tennis, the Cougars showed great improvement throughout the season, finishing with a, 8-15 record, but posted back-to-back wins late in the season over nationally-ranked Washington. Atawo arrived in Pullman having spent the 2021 season as the assistant coach at Auburn and prior to that, spent 15 years on the WTA Tour, where she reached at No. 10 world ranking in doubles.