The Highline women’s tennis team kept their NWAC conference record unblemished with a win over Treasure Valley last week. 

The team travels east this weekend to play two teams before closing the regular season at home. 

In Ontario, Ore., it took the Thunderbirds a couple games to acclimate to outdoor competition at the Treasure Valley courts. The recent weather hasn’t allowed the team to have much outdoor court time, said Head Coach Laura Rosa.

“It took the T-Birds a few games in doubles to adjust to the wind, noise, pace of the hard court, etc. We have a team that plays very aggressive and in this case they needed to slow down and focus on hitting a higher percentage ball. We figured that out after the first half of doubles and then finished singles winning 48 out of 50 total games,” said Coach Rosa.

The No. 1 Highline duo got caught up mid-match at 4-4, but Mia Rosa and Celeste Parker pulled away to close out the match 8-4. 

Subsequently, neither player dropped a game in the singles matches. 

Selah Carlisle and Princess Ventura clinched the second doubles with a dominating 8-1 finish and only dropped two singles sets combined. 

In singles action, Highline won the top three singles 6-0, the fourth 6-1, and the fifth by default. 

With just three matches leading up to NWAC championships, Highline has overcome many obstacles to sustain their 4-0 conference record. The six-player squad has developed a trust in one another and brought into the “team over self” mentality, said Head Coach Rosa.

“We know that on any given day if someone is not at their best that someone else on another court will step up and fill that gap,” said Coach Rosa.

This Friday, Highline will drive to Lewiston, Idaho to take on Lewis & Clark State College. The non-conference match will test the Thunderbirds’ play against a four-year program once again. 

“LCSC historically is a very strong NAIA school, which gives us the best opportunity to train at the level this team has the potential to reach. I believe all of the current T-Birds will have the opportunity to transfer on and play at the four-year level. They need these experiences to prepare for that,” said Head Coach Rosa.

The match will be held at the Lewis & Clark Tennis Center at 4 p.m. For those wanting to cheer on the T-Birds, tune into the live stream held at 4:30 p.m. Here is the link: https://web.track.tennis/events/watch?key=1349.eYKsEs3kxFA#/

On Saturday morning, Highline travels north to play Spokane, who is currently 0-2 in conference. The match begins at noon.