University of Washington
Oklahoma State
UW Set To Host Two Ranked Opponents This Weekend
March 01, 2017 | Women's Tennis
SEATTLE – After picking up their 10th win of the season this past weekend, the No. 25 Washington women's tennis team looks to continue rolling at home, hosting No. 11 Oklahoma State on Friday March 3rd at 4 p.m. and No. 38 Northwestern on Sunday at noon.
The Dawgs remained undefeated at home last weekend, shutting out Houston and UC Santa Barbara with 5-0 and 7-0 wins respectively. Stacey Fung picked up two ranked wins against the Gauchos, defeating the 41st ranked duo in the country to begin the match in doubles, and picking up a 6-3, 6-2 win over No. 113 Palina Dubavets.
Kenadi Hance and Alexis Prokopuik continued their tear in singles, each moving into double-digit victories during the dual match season last weekend, while only owning one loss. Hance has replicated her early success from last season as a freshman when she started 9-0 in singles, going 11-1 this year, paired with a 7-3 record in doubles. Junior transfer Prokopuik has found quick success as a Husky as well this season, owning a 10-1 singles record in dual matches and going 7-0 in the Dawgs' last eight matches.
Moving to 10-2 on the season, the Huskies earned the No. 25 position in this week's ITA National Team Rankings, the highest they've been since last February.
Friday's match will be the first against a ranked opponent this season for Washington and will be a tough one with the 11th ranked Cowgirls. Oklahoma State's (8-3) season has been highlighted by wins over 19th ranked Ole Miss and No. 8 California at the ITA National Team Indoors. They were last in action February 17th and 18th when they fell to No. 5 Stanford 4-1 and No. 1 Florida 4-2. OSU owns 10 total rankings across singles and doubles by the ITA, highlighted by No. 9 Viktoriya Lushkova in singles, and Vladica Babic and Carla Tur Mari in doubles at 6th. Head coach Chris Young is in his 8th season with the program, and recently led the team to the NCAA Finals last year where they fell to Stanford 4-3.
For the second time this season, the Huskies will take on a coach's alma mater when they host Northwestern on Sunday at noon. Volunteer assistant Georgia Munns was a member of the Wildcats from 2006 to 2009, where she was a four-time All-American, a four-time All-Big Ten selection and an NCAA Qualifier in each season.
"It's exciting to play your alma mater," said Munns. "Especially as Claire was my coach when I played at Northwestern."
The 2006 Big Ten Freshman of the Year helped lead the team to a top-10 final ITA ranking each year while in Evanston, Ill., and still holds the school record for consecutive singles matches won at 29.
This season's Wildcats have begun the year 5-4, and most recently opened their conference schedule on February 19th with a 6-1 win over Illinois. Senior Brooke Rischbieth has led the team so far this season in singles, owning a ranking by the ITA since February 8th. In doubles the 'Cats own two national rankings, including No. 9 Maddie Lipp and Alex Chatt who recently upset Baylor's Elizabeth Profit and Blair Shankle who previously owned the No. 9 spot. Currently in her 19th year with the program, head coach Claire Pollard has guided Northwestern to a top-25 final ranking in 16 seasons, including eight years finishing in the top-10.
"The girls are in a great place and have been working really hard," said Munns. "We're excited to host Oklahoma State and Northwestern this weekend."
Each match will be held at the Nordstrom Tennis Center and be free to attend. Live streaming and scoring will available to those who can't make it to campus, which can be found by following the link above.
