PULLMAN, Wash. – The Portland State women's tennis team faced a tough Washington State squad on the road Friday afternoon, falling 7-0 at the WSU Outdoor Tennis Courts.

Friday's match marked Portland State's first outdoor dual of the year.  The Vikings dropped to 3-4 overall, while the Cougars, ranked No. 47 in the latest ITA polls, improved to 10-5 on the season.

Washington State set the tone early, sweeping doubles play to secure the opening point. The Vikings fought to turn the tide in singles but couldn't break through for a win. Playing at No. 5, Kasumi Hirayama was the only Viking to push her opponent to a third set, taking the first set 6-4 before Martina Markov answered with a 6-1 win in the second. With the overall match already decided, Hirayama and Markov battled through a grueling superset tiebreak that spanned 30 points, with Markov ultimately prevailing 16-14.

Portland State will return to Big Sky action on Sunday, March 9 as they close out the weekend against Idaho. First serve is set for 11:00 a.m. PT in Moscow. 

MATCH RESULTS 
DOUBLES
No. 1 Eva Alvarez Sande/Maxine Murphy (WSU) def. Nika Beukers/Nene Uemura (PSU) 6-0
No. 2 Elyse Tse/Chisato Kanemaki (WSU) def. Hana Abdalhamid/Scarlett Perkins (PSU) 6-2
No. 3 Hania Abouelsaad/Martina Markov (WSU) def. Kasumi Hirayama/Ayra Salim (PSU) 6-3
Order of Finish: 1,2,3
 
SINGLES
No.1 Eva Alvarez Sande (WSU) def. Nika Beukers (PSU) 6-2, 6-2
No. 2 Maxine Murphy (WSU) def. Hana Abdelhamid (PSU) 6-4, 6-3
No. 3 Elyse Tse (WSU) def. Nene Uemura (PSU) 6-0, 6-0
No. 4 Hania Abouelsaad (WSU) def. Scarlett Perkins (PSU) 6-2, 2-1 ret.
No. 5 Martina Markov (WSU) def. Kasumi Hirayama (PSU) 4-6, 6-1, 1-0 (16-14)
No. 6 Chisato Kanemaki (WSU) vs. Ayra Salim (PSU) 6-4, 6-4
Order of Finish: 4,3,1,2,6,5