March 29, 2013

PULLMAN, Wash. -

Arizona (9-8, 1-3) upset No. 60 Washington State (12-7, 1-4), defeating the Cougars for the first time in Pullman, Wash., since 2006, on Friday afternoon at the Simmelink Tennis Courts in Hollingbery Fieldhouse.

The win marked Arizona's first conference win and ended a three-match losing streak for the Wildcats. It was also Arizona's first win on the road since late January of this season.

"This was a really great win for us on so many levels," Arizona head coach Vicky Maes said. "We have not beaten WSU on the road in years and we came out and crushed them." 

Washington State started the match with the early advantage to take the doubles round after winning at the No. 1 doubles spot. However, Arizona came back and won at the No. 2 and 3 doubles spots to lead WSU, 1-0, heading into singles play.

UA juniors Akilah James (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and Kim Stubbe (Mol, Belgium) earned their second doubles victory of the season over Kankaras and Musilovich, 8-5, at the No. 2 spot.

UA junior Susan Mc Rann (Dublin, Ireland) and sophomore Laura Oldham (Sheffield, England) won the doubles point for the Wildcats by defeating Luzina and Koning, 8-5, at the No. 3 spot.

"The doubles play gave us momentum," Maes said. "But it was our determined mindset in singles that made all the difference today."

In singles play, Arizona went on to earn four consecutive victories at the No. 1, 2, 4 and 6 spots to clinch the match and record Arizona's ninth win of the season.

Smyth extended Arizona's lead to 2-0 at the No. 1 spot by defeating Liudmila Vasilieva, 6-0, 6-1.

Stubbe also won in straight sets over Ksenia Googe, 6-1, 6-0, at the No. 2 spot to give Arizona the 3-0 advantage.

Mc Rann finalized the match and gave the Wildcats the win by ousting Charlotte Koning, 6-1, 6-3, at the No. 6 spot.

James and UA freshman Shayne Austin (Oaks Park, Calif.) also recorded singles victories at the No. 4 and 5 spots, respectively, to add onto Arizona's lead.

"After so many close losses this year, our team made the decision to fight back," Maes said. "I cannot give them enough praise for that. Instead of hanging our heads, we went back to the basics and competed with lots of heart."

Up Next: Arizona heads to Seattle, Wash., tomorrow to take on No. 48 Washington (8-7, 1-4) at the Bill Quillian Tennis Stadium at noon PT.

Live stats and coverage for tomorrow's match can be seen via the link below:http://www.gohuskies.com/sports/w-tennis/wash-live-stats.html

For immediate results and continued coverage of Arizona Women's Tennis, visit ArizonaWildcats.com, or visit the Arizona Women's Tennis Facebook page, or follow @ArizonaWTennis on Twitter.

Doubles

1. Vasilieva/Googe (WSU) def. Smyth/Austin (UA) 8-5

2. James/Stubbe (UA) def. Kankaras/Musilovich (WSU) 8-5

3. Mc Rann/Oldham (UA) def. Luzina/Koning (WSU) 8-5

Order of finish: 1,2,3

Singles

1. No. 64 Lacey Smyth (UA) def. Liudmila Vasilieva (WSU) 6-0, 6-1

2. Kim Stubbe (UA) def. Ksenia Googe (WSU) 6-1, 6-0

3. Elizaveta Luzina (WSU) def. Laura Oldham (UA) 6-2, 6-3

4. Akilah James (UA) def. Andjela Kankaras (WSU) 6-3, 6-2

5. Shayne Austin (UA) def. Olga Musilovich (WSU) 2-6, 6-4, 1-0(10-4)

6. Susan Mc Rann (UA) def. Charlotte Koning (WSU) 6-1, 6-3

Order of finish: 1,2,6*,4,3,5