Eagles women’s tennis finishes season with dominant win

Apr. 23—MISSOULA, Mont. — Eastern Washington University women’s tennis (5-13) closed its season with a 6-1 victory over the University of Montana with five singles and one doubles victory to solidify it, according to a statement by Eastern Washington Athletics.

“It was a fun match to be a part of today to coach this group of players in our final match of the season. The girls just laid it all to get the win, which was dominant and hard fought on every court,” Head Coach Dustin Hinson said. “I’m just really proud of the girls for stepping up and showing that they believe what they can do and finishing the way they did. I’m excited for the core group of the team we have, and it has really been solidified by our senior leadership. That’s been great for developing team culture, which is where we want it to be. Everyone’s brought into that, so I’m really excited for the future of our program in the coming years.”

The Eagles started the morning with two wins in doubles to open 1-0 over the Grizzlies. Anait Arutiunian and Sara Vasic fought hard at No. 3, winning 7-5 over Shivika Agrawal and Monika Fizova. Olivia Marais and Zoe Pradel were in battle in the No. 2 match against Olivia Moir and Kelsey Philips. The match went to the tiebreaker, where Marais and Pradel focused in and earned a 7-4 win to clinch the match and point for the team.

Pradel then cruised in her singles match — playing at No. 4 — topping Fizova in two sets (6-2, 6-1).

Arutiunian added another point for EWU at No. 2, winning by retirement over Kelsey Phillips.

In her final match as an Eagle, Isabella Foshee faced Grace Haugen at the No. 1 position. Foshee won the first set 6-3 but fell in the second 6-0. Now in the third set, Foshee took control and won 6-4, clinching the match victory for Eastern with a 4-1 advantage over Montana.

Marais and Vasic each had a three-set battle at the No. 4 and 5 singles, respectively. In the four-spot, Marais faced Moir again, dropping the first set 6-3. She rebounded with a 6-2 win in the second set, sending the match to the tiebreaker. Marais emerged victorious, 10-7, to add another point to the Eagle lead.

Vasic went against Kate Prichard in the fifth spot, outlasting her in a 7-6 (7-4) win in the first set. After dropping the second set (6-3), Vasic defeated Prichard 12-10 in the tiebreaker to pad the 6-1 win for Eastern.

“I’m very proud of the team for how hard they’re able to compete day in and day out,” Hinson added. “It’s not just on match day, but on the practice court days. This team has a desire to get better each day. They are there for each other and I love that about these girls. It was definitely a great job getting the doubles point to take momentum into singles.”

Results

Singles

Isabella Foshee (EWU) def. Grace Haugen (UM) 6-3, 0-6, 6-4

Anait Arutiunian (EWU) def. Kelsey Phillips (UM), retirement

Rosie Sterk (UM) def. Kenzington Mann (EWU) 6-1, 1-6, 6-4

Zoe Pradel (EWU) def. Monika Fizova (UM) 6-2, 6-1

Olivia Marais (EWU) def. Olivia Moir (UM) 3-6, 6-2, 1-0 (10-7)

Sara Vasic (EWU) def. Kate Prichard (UM) 7-6, 3-6, 1-0 (12-10)

Doubles

Grace Haugen / Rosie Sterk (UM) def. Kenzington Mann / Isabella Foshee (EWU) 6-2

Zoe Pradel / Olivia Marais (EWU) def. Olivia Moir / Kelsey Philips (UM) 7-6 (7-4)

Anait Arutiunian / Sara Vasic (EWU) def. Shivika Agrawal / Monika Fizova (UM) 7-5