Huskies women's tennis victorious in final regular season match
HERALD SPORTS STAFF | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year, 4 months AGO
The UW women’s tennis team finished with a winning record of 19 wins.
COURTESY PHOTO/SCOTT EKLUND/RED BOX PICTURES/UW ATHLETICS
SEATTLE — The No. 18 University of Washington women's tennis team (19-3) closed out the regular season in style Sunday afternoon, sweeping No. 32 Iowa 4-0, according to a statement from University of Washington Athletics.
The Huskies earned their 19th win of the season, the most since 2019 when the Dawgs went 21-5 and made a trip to the NCAA Round of 16.
Washington closed out its inaugural Big Ten season with a 13-2 record and secured a spot as the No. 3 seed in the Big Ten Championships in Ojai, Calif.
Prior to the action, Washington honored the 2025 senior class of McKenna Koenig and Sophie Luescher. The two seniors have undoubtedly left their mark on the Husky program in the one season they spent in Seattle.
The seniors went undefeated on their special day, as both earned doubles victories and Koenig picked up a two-set win in singles play.
Washington clinched the doubles point with a 6-3 victory from Koenig and Carina Syrtveit, as the pair wrapped the regular season with a 14-4 record at No. 3 doubles.
The second UW win in doubles play came from Luescher and Erika Matsuda, who clinched it with a 6-4 match over Iowa's Barbora Pokorna and Pia Kranholdt.
The Dawgs went on to win three more in singles for their eighth sweep of the season and fifth of Big Ten play. Washington won five of its six first sets as all three singles wins came in two-set matches.
Alexia Jacobs added the first singles point to the scoreboard, defeating Iowa's Barbora Pokorna, 6-3, 6-1 to improve to 11-6 at No. 3 singles and 2-0 on the weekend.
Koenig added a Senior Day win to her resume, besting the Hawkeyes' Pia Kranholdt 6-1, 6-1 to improve to 12-2 at No. 4 singles and complete the 4-0 weekend.
"Couldn't be prouder of these girls for staying adaptable today," Koenig said. "We knew this was our last regular season conference match, so we brought so much energy and fight today. It was electric!"
Matsuda once again clinched the victory for Washington, her second clinch at No. 2 singles in as many matches, defeating Marisa Schmidt 6-4, 6-0.
Reece Carter bounced back from a 0-6 first set loss to play a third set before her match was abandoned on the top court.
Luescher's and Syrtveit's matches on five and six, respectively, were left late in second sets.
"Everything the girls and coaches have done for Kenny and me today has made this Senior Day one that I'll remember," Luescher commented. "Thank you and love you all!"
The Huskies' first match of the Big Ten Women's Tennis Tournament will be in quarterfinal action on Thursday, April 24.
UW will face the winner of Wednesday's first-round matchup between 6-seed USC (15-6) and 11-seed Michigan State (13-11).
DOUBLES:
Hayashida/Schmidt (Iowa) def. No. 52 Reece Carter/Alexia Jacobs (UW), 6-3
Sophie Luescher/Erika Matsuda (UW) def. Pokorna/Kranholdt (Iowa), 6-4
McKenna Koenig/Carina Syrtveit (UW) def. Vishwase/Matthews (Iowa), 6-3
Order of finish: 1, 3, 2
SINGLES:
No. 94 Reece Carter (UW) vs. No. 108 Daianne Hayashida (Iowa), 0-6, 6-3, 1-3 DNF
Erika Matsuda (UW) def. Marisa Schmidt (Iowa), 6-4, 6-0
Alexia Jacobs (UW) def. Barbora Pokorna (Iowa), 6-3, 6-1
McKenna Koenig (UW) def. Pia Kranholdt (Iowa), 6-1, 6-1
Sophie Luescher (UW) vs. Nikita Vishwase (Iowa), 6-3, 5-5 DNF
Carina Syrtveit (UW) vs. Sally Xu (Iowa), 7-5, 3-4 DNF
Order of finish: 3, 4, 2
ARTICLES BY HERALD SPORTS STAFF
Football set to start with Gridiron Guide
MOSES LAKE — Local football players have started to hit the turf as preseason practices have been running in the late summer. Check out how the players and coaches have been preparing for their seasons with the Gridiron Guide in Friday’s paper.
Wildcats Begin New Era with Championship Expectations
ELLENSBURG — As the Central Washington Wildcats enter fall camp, they also embark on the beginning of a new chapter, according to CWU Athletics. After winning the 2025 GNAC championship and reaching the NCAA West Regional semifinals, the Wildcats enter the 2026 season with a roster loaded with experience, talent and championship aspirations. Lauren Herseth takes over as head coach after serving as the program's associate head coach for the last five seasons, following the departure of Mario Andaya to become CWU's Deputy Director of Athletics. Herseth will be joined by assistant coach Hannah Stires, a former standout Wildcat player who returns to the Wildcats.
Miconi’s Late Strike Lifts Eagles Past Bucknell, 1-0
CHENEY — Eastern Washington earned its second straight win to open the season, defeating Bucknell 1-0 behind a late goal from Mia Miconi and another standout performance in goal from Payton Hyde, according to a statement by EWU Athletics. The Eagles recorded 11 shots in the match, while Bucknell finished with 21. Despite consistent pressure from the Bison, Eastern's defense held strong to secure its second consecutive shutout.