SPOKANE, Wash. – Earlier this afternoon, the Gonzaga women's tennis team had a non-conference dual doubleheader against Utah State and Eastern Washington. This is the first doubleheader since last season, when the Bulldogs clinched dominant victories over Idaho and Eastern Washington.
 
Today's opening match against Utah State marks the first time the Zags have hosted the Aggies since the 2017 season, when Gonzaga clinched a 6-1 victory. Gonzaga has won four of the previous five matches against Utah State, a streak dating back to the 2006 season.
 
Gonzaga's Emily Robertson and Ella Nielsen opened the doubles competition with a dominant 6-0 victory against Utah State's Zeynep Naz Ozturk and Laura Fernanda Eugenio De Hilario on court two. In the No.1 spot, Gonzaga clinched the doubles point when Kianna Oda and Tiegan Aitken defeated Utah State's Lisa Kung and Ana Paula Chavez Sanchez by a score of 6-4.
 
With the Zags having already clinched the doubles competition, the court three match between Gonzaga's Brooke Bittner and Caroline Wernli and Utah State's Indya Nespor and Niyati Kukreti went unfinished, ending with a score of 5-4.
 
Gonzaga continued to dominate against Utah State in the singles competition. On court one, Robertson shined, defeating Ozturk by a score of 6-2, 6-0. Aitken also picked up a victory, earning a 6-3, 6-0 win over Sanchez on court four. In the No.2 spot, Gonzaga clinched the team victory when Oda defeated Kukreti by a score of 6-0, 6-3.
 
The final three singles matches between Gonzaga and Utah State remained competitive. On court three, Nielsen battled, but retired in the second set against Hilario, with the match ending with a score of 7-6, 2-1. Shortly after, Wernli claimed a 6-4, 3-6, 10-6 court five win against Nespor. In the No.6 spot, Bittner defeated Utah State's Savannah Johnson by a score of 6-4, 4-6, 10-6.
 
Entering the match against Eastern Washington, the Zags had won the previous twenty matches against the Eagles, a streak dating back to 2008. Today's match was the 44th historical matchup between Gonzaga and Eastern Washington, which leads for the most matchups against another university in program history. Gonzaga has also hosted every match between the Bulldogs and Eagles since 2012.
 
For a second consecutive match, Robertson and Nielsen opened the doubles competition by dominating on court two, sweeping Eastern Washington's Leandra Nizetic and Kelly Arends by a score of 6-0. Eastern Washington tied the doubles competition on court one, as Scout Mathews and Isabella Foshee defeated Oda and Aitken by a score of 6-3. In the No.3 spot, Eastern Washington's Jennifer Kida and Kenzington Mann clinched the doubles point for the Eagles, defeating Bittner and Wernli by a score of 7-5.
 
Gonzaga tied the competition when the singles competition began, as Bittner earned an impressive 6-2, 6-1 court six victory against Mann. Shortly after, Robertson clinched her fourth victory of the day, defeating Mathews by a score of 6-2, 6-4 on court one. Gonzaga expanded their lead on court five, as Wernli clinched a 6-1, 6-2 win over Arends.
 
The remaining three singles matches were among the most competitive this season for the Zags. On court two, Oda battled, but lost 6-2, 6-4 to Kida. Eastern Washington tied the competition at three when Foshee defeated Aitken on court four, winning by a score of 3-6, 6-1, 6-4. In the No. 3 spot, Nielsen clinched the team victory for the Zags by earning a 5-7, 6-4, 7-5 victory over Nizetic.
 
Up Next: Following today's matches, the Gonzaga women's tennis team is scheduled to host Washington State next Friday, February 1st at 3 pm. The Zags will also host Fresno State at the Stevens Center on Sunday, February 3rd at 11 am.
 
A live stream of Gonzaga's upcoming matches can be found at GoZags.com.
 
Records: Gonzaga's season record improves to 5-6 with today's victories. For Utah State, their record on the year drops to 3-4 with the loss. The historical record between the Bulldogs and Aggies also moves to 8-5. The loss also drops the season record for Eastern Washington to 2-8, and shifts the historical record between the Zags and Eagles to 40-4.
 
Results:
Gonzaga 6, Utah State 1
Singles Competition:
1. ROBERTSON, Emily (GON) def. OZTURK, Z. (USU) 6-2, 6-0
2. ODA, Kianna (GON) def. KUKRETI, N. (USU) 6-0, 6-3
3. HILARIO, L. (USU) def. NIELSEN, Ella (GON) 7-6 (8-6), 2-1, retired
4. AITKEN, Tiegan (GON) def. SANCHEZ, A. (USU) 6-3, 6-0
5. WERNLI, Caroline (GON) def. NESPOR, I. (USU) 6-4, 3-6, 10-6
6. BITTNER, Brooke (GON) def. JOHNSON, S. (USU) 6-4, 4-6, 10-6
 
Doubles Competition:
1. ODA, Kianna/AITKEN, Tiegan (GON) def. KUNG, L./SANCHEZ, A. (USU) 6-4
2. ROBERTSON, Emily/NIELSEN, Ella (GON) def. OZTURK, Z./HILARIO, L. (USU) 6-0
3. BITTNER, Brooke/WERNLI, Caroline (GON) vs. NESPOR, I./KUKRETI, N. (USU) 5-4, unfinished
 
Match Notes:
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1); Singles (1,4,2,3,5,6)
 
Gonzaga 4, Eastern Washington 3
Singles Competition:
1. ROBERTSON, Emily (GON) def. MATHEWS, Scout (EWU) 6-2, 6-4
2. KIDA, Jennifer (EWU) def. ODA, Kianna (GON) 6-2, 6-4
3. NIELSEN, Ella (GON) def. NIZETIC, Leandra (EWU) 5-7, 6-4, 7-5
4. FOSHEE, Isabella (EWU) def. AITKEN, Tiegan (GON) 3-6, 6-1, 6-4
5. WERNLI, Caroline (GON) def. ARENDS, Kelly (EWU) 6-1, 6-2
6. BITTNER, Brooke (GON) def. MANN, Kenzington (EWU) 6-2, 6-1
 
Doubles Competition:
1. MATHEWS, Scout/FOSHEE, Isabella (EWU) def. ODA, Kianna/AITKEN, Tiegan (GON) 6-3
2. ROBERTSON, Emily/NIELSEN, Ella (GON) def. NIZETIC, Leandra/ARENDS, Kelly (EWU) 6-0
3. KIDA, Jennifer/MANN, Kenzington (EWU) def. BITTNER, Brooke/WERNLI, Caroline (GON) 7-5
 
Match Notes:
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (6,1,5,2,4,3)