Gerald Sastra/The Cougar
After opening the spring season 3-3 with wins over UT Arlington, North Texas and Tarleton State, Houston tennis lost 13 of its last 14 matches. Their only victory during that stretch came against Cincinnati on March 30.
Houston Tennis struggles in back-to-back matches against Oklahoma State and Kansas State
Houston women’s tennis faced a tough stretch on the road, falling to No. 25 Oklahoma State and No. 73 Kansas State in consecutive matches.
The Cougars were unable to secure a point in either contest, losing both matches 4-0.
Facing a nationally ranked Oklahoma State squad in Stillwater, the Cougars struggled to gain momentum.
The Cowgirls took control early, winning two doubles matches convincingly to secure the doubles point.
In singles play, sophomores Iva Sepa, Heta Nuutinen and Valeriia Krokhotina all suffered straight-set losses.
The match was called once Oklahoma State clinched victory at 4-0, leaving three matches unfinished.
Two days later, Houston traveled to Manhattan, Kansas, where they encountered another setback against Kansas State.
The Wildcats claimed the doubles point with decisive wins at No. 2 and No. 3 doubles.
In singles action, Houston’s struggles continued. Sepa, Schouten and junior Gabriella Cortes fell in straight sets, giving the Wildcats the 4-0 win.
The other three singles matches were left unfinished.
Houston drops first home matches of the season to No. 40 TCU and No. 15 Baylor
Houston women’s tennis suffered two more conference losses after being defeated 4-0 by No. 40 TCU and No. 15 Baylor, respectively.
They also marked the Cougars’ first losses at home, after they had begun the season 3-0 at the Barbara Wallace Winston Tennis Facility.
TCU was surging heading into the matchup with Houston, having been winners of their last four matchups, and that momentum continued on Friday.
In doubles play, junior Jade Otway and graduate Isabel Pascual defeated Strombacha and sophomore Elizaveta Morozova 6-2.
The Horned Frogs secured the doubles point when Cortes and Schouten fell 6-4 to senior Helena Narmont and junior Yu-Chin Tsai.
All three of Houston’s singles matches were competitive, but ultimately the victory was clinched for TCU when senior Tomi Main won 6-3, 6-3 over Schouten.
Sunday’s matchup against Baylor continued Houston’s string of in-conference struggles, but Cortes and Schouten pulled off a match win in doubles play, defeating senior Sierra Berry and freshman Na Dong 7-5.
In singles play, Nuuiten opened up with a 6-2, 6-4 loss. Sepa then dropped both her sets 7-5 and 6-4 apiece.
Morozova also lost her match 6-4, 6-3 to seal the loss for Houston.
Cougars show scoring potential but fall short to No. 40 Kansas
Houston women’s tennis faced off against No. 40 Kansas on March 14 during their four-game homestand, where the Cougars looked to snap their seven-game losing streak.
Schouten was the highlight for Houston, taking a point from the Jayhawks in her singles match, where she picked up the victory 4-1. This was the Cougars’ first point in Big 12 competition.
Cortes and Schouten, playing together for the first time, hosted a back-and-forth match but ultimately fell on court one. On court two, Sepa and Krokhotina were defeated soundly, 6-3.
In singles matchups, Nuutinen allowed the first point against the Cougars in singles, allowing the Jayhawks to tie.
Kansas fared well in singles against Houston and defeated Krokhotina, bringing themselves within one point of clinching.
Promptly after, junior Gracie Mulville handed junior Santa Strombacha her first loss of the year, extending the Cougars’ losing streak to eight matches in a row after a 4-1.
Houston remains winless in conference play in loss to No. 52 Iowa State
Houston women’s tennis extended its losing streak to nine consecutive matches on March 16 against No. 52 Iowa State.
Houston was competitive in its singles matchups, with all of them coming down to the wire.
Schouten got Houston on the board first, winning her matches in dominant fashion, 6-0 and 7-3.
On court four, Krokhotina scored another point for the Cougars, winning both her matches 6-3.
Houston’s season-long struggles in doubles play continued. They lost 2-6 and 1-6, allowing the Cyclones to score two points.
The remaining singles matches did not favor the Cougars either. Sepa and Nuutinen lost back-to-back, bringing the Cyclones within one. Strombacha then took only her second loss of the year, giving Iowa State the victory 4-2.
No. 14 Texas Tech sweeps Cougars in Lubbock
Houston dropped a 4-0 decision to No. 14 Texas Tech on the road at the McLeod Tennis Center on March 21.
In doubles, Schouten and Cortes fell 6-3 to the nation’s No. 4-ranked duo, Avelina Sayfetdinova and Mariia Hlahola.
In singles, Nuutinen managed four games before falling 6-4, 6-0 to Hlahola on court three. Sepa lost 6-2, 6-1 on court two, and Schouten fell 6-2, 6-4 on court five, sealing the win for Texas Tech.
Houston tennis suffers setback in Colorado
Houston tennis traveled to Boulder to take on Colorado on March 23, at the Meadows Club, where they came up short in a 4-1 loss.
With an automatic forfeit on court three in doubles, the Cougars faced an early disadvantage. Colorado capitalized as the No. 45 ranked pairing of sophomore Ema Bubalo and senior Anya Nelson secured a 6-3 win over Cortes and Schouten on the top court.
In singles play, Bubalo struck again with a straight-sets victory over Nuutinen, 6-3, 6-3. The Buffaloes extended their lead when sophomore Betina Tokac downed junior Iva Sepa, 6-2, 6-1, on court two.
Houston got on the board courtesy of Krokhotina, who picked up her fifth singles win of the season by defeating freshman Pia Rebec, 6-3, 6-4, on court four.
However, Colorado clinched the match when senior Mila Stanojevic outlasted Strombacha in a three-set battle, 6-3, 3-6, 6-0.
Cougars lose heartbreaker at home against West Virginia
On March 28, the Cougars hosted West Virginia at Sweetwater Country Club. In a match moved indoors due to weather, Houston fought valiantly but ultimately fell 4-3.
Singles action kicked off the contest, with Houston earning an early 2-0 edge. Krokhotina led the way with a dominant 6-3, 6-1 win over junior Maja Dodik on court four. Strombacha followed up with a composed 6-2, 6-4 victory over sophomore Mille Haagensen on court one.
The Mountaineers answered back with wins on courts two and three, including a three-set comeback by junior Michaela Kucharova over Nuutinen. Schouten gave the Cougars a 3-2 lead after breezing past sophomore Lyla Byers, 6-2, 6-2, but West Virginia tied things up again with a straight-sets win over Cortes.
Doubles play proved to be the decider. Houston gained an initial edge with a 6-2 victory on court three by Krokhotina and Nuutinen. However, the Mountaineers clawed back with Haagensen and Bosseau, evening the score with a win on court one, and Kucharova and Villanueva clinched the match for West Virginia with a 6-4 triumph over Strombacha and Sepa on court two.
Houston rallies for home victory over Cincinnati
Houston women’s tennis defended their home court in a hard-fought 4-2 victory over the University of Cincinnati on March 30 at the Barbara Wallace Winston Tennis Facility.
Despite an early setback in doubles play, where the Bearcats snatched the point with wins on courts one and three, the Cougars roared back in singles to claim the match. Cortes and Schouten led the charge, each securing gritty three-set victories that tilted momentum back in the home team’s favor.
Cincinnati opened strong with their pairing of sophomores Zeynep Erman and Callie Flanagan taking a confident 6-3 win on court three, while junior Rozalia Gruszczynska and senior Gabrielle Guenther sealed the doubles point with a 6-4 decision on court one.
However, Houston quickly flipped the script once singles play began. Cortes recovered from a first-set loss to outlast Flanagan 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 on court six, while Schouten edged Cincinnati’s Sakurako Watanabe in a three-set battle on court five. The Cougars also got a straight-set win from Krokhotina on court four, overpowering freshman Milica Popovski 6-1, 6-4.
Cincinnati’s lone singles highlight came from Guenther, who dominated Nuutinen on court three with a convincing 6-2, 6-1 performance. Court one’s match between Strombacha and Erman was shaping up to be a thriller, but was left unfinished after splitting the first two sets.
No. 17 UCF tops Houston in Orlando
Following their win over Cincinnati, the Cougars faced No. 17 UCF in Orlando on Apr. 5 at the USTA National Campus, falling 4-0.
In singles, Schouten and Cortes were bright spots, each winning their first sets—7-6 for Cortes and 6-4 for Schouten—before ultimately dropping their matches.
In doubles, Nuutinen and Krokhotina competed well early but lost 4-2. Schouten and Cortes were defeated 6-2 on court one.
UCF quickly clinched the match in singles with wins over Sepa, Nuutinen and Krokhotina, all of whom dropped their opening sets 6-4 and were unable to recover.
Cougars Struggle in Salt Lake City, Fall to Utah 4-0
Houston women’s tennis came up short on Thursday evening, dropping a 4-0 decision to Utah at the George S. Eccles Tennis Center on April 10.
Now 4-14 overall and 1-11 in Big 12 play, the Cougars couldn’t find their rhythm early, falling behind after losing the doubles point. On court one, the duo of Strombacha and Sepa were shut out by Utah’s juniors Sara Akid and Emma Valletta, 6-0.
Houston showed more fight on courts two and three, with both matches locked at 4-4 at one point. But the Utes edged ahead on court three, where sophomore Samantha Horwood and senior Dylan Lolofie clinched the doubles point with a 6-4 win over Krokhotina and Nuutinen.
Utah continued its momentum in singles, quickly picking up wins on the top two courts. Freshman Emma Kamper defeated Strombacha 6-1, 6-3, and Akid bested Sepa 6-2, 6-3 to widen the gap.
The match was sealed on court three as Nuutinen fell to senior Kaila Barksdale in straight sets, 6-3, 6-2, allowing the Utes to secure the sweep.
Cougars wrap up regular season with 4-2 loss to BYU
Houston tennis wrapped up regular-season play with a 4-2 loss to No. 67 BYU on April 12 at the Outdoor Tennis Courts.
Houston dropped the doubles point when Grace Levelston and Elizabeth Tullis defeated sophomores Krokhotina and Nuutinen, 6-1. BYU clinched the doubles point on court one as Kendall Kovick and Chelsea Bluestein downed fifth-year Strombacha and sophomore Sepa, 6-2.
BYU picked up its second point on court one as Bobo Huang defeated Strombacha, 6-1, 6-0.
On court four, Krokhotina earned her team-leading eighth win of the year by defeating Sue Yan Tan, 6-2, 6-4, to get Houston on the scoreboard.
Sepa tied the match on court two when she took a 6-4 first set and then dominated Levelston, 6-1, in the second set.
BYU regained the lead on court five as Madison Smith defeated Schouten, 6-3, 6-1.
BYU clinched the match on court three as Nuutinen fell to Kovick, 6-3, 5-7, 6-3.
Cougars fall 4-0 to No. 9 TCU in first round of Big 12 Championship
Houston tennis concluded its season in the first round of the Big 12 Championship, falling to No. 9 TCU, 4-0, on April 16 at the Hurd Tennis Center.
Houston dropped the doubles point as juniors Cortes and Schouten fell to No. 24 Jade Otway and Isabel Pascual, 6-3.
TCU clinched the doubles point when Maya Drozd and Yu-Chin Tsai downed sophomores Nuutinen and Sepa, 6-3.
Fifth-year Strombacha and sophomore Krokhotina held a 5-3 lead before the match was abandoned.
Schouten struggled to find any momentum as she fell on court five to Pascual, 6-0, 6-1.
TCU pushed their lead to three as Drozd downed Cortes on court six, 6-2, 6-4.
The Horned Frogs kept their season alive as Raquel Caballero defeated Sepa on court two, 6-2, 6-4.
