Houston tennis celebrating senior Gabriela Cortes’ score after her second round of singles of an NCAA tennis match against Missouri State on Sunday March 29, 2026, in Houston. | Luis Diego Gonzalez/The Cougar
The Houston Cougars traveled to West Virginia in a matchup against the Mountaineers on April 10. The Cougars opened their matches at the Mountaineer Tennis Courts for the final weekend of the regular season. Houston left no room for hope for the Mountaineers and wiped the scoreboard clean 4-0.
Doubles Recap:
Houston junior Petja Drame and senior Elizaveta Morozova dominated the Mountaineers from the start. With forceful volleys in West Virginia, the Cougars took the match 6-0 for the first point of the day.
Mountaineer graduate Julie Bousseau and senior Audrey Moutama ran out the gate for three consecutive games against Cougar seniors Chems Doha Zeghlouli and Sophie Schouten. With an extended lead of 3-1, the Cougars tried to match tempo with rallies but could not close out points. The Mountaineers closed out the match with a score of 6-4.
All eyes were set on the final match for the doubles point. Cougar juniors Iva Sepa and Valeriia Krokhotina were set with consistency for three games, but the Mountaineers did not fail to make points and tied the score 3-3. The Cougars ultimately prevailed to take home the doubles round point with a score of 6-4.
Singles Recap:
Starting up the singles round, Schouten found their rhythm and flew through the first set 6-2. In the second set, West Virginia gained confidence with heavy returns against Houston. However, the Mountaineer was not able to topple over Houston for a Cougar win 6-2, 6-4. Schouten earned her impressive 15th singles win of the season.
In a slow start, Sepa was not afraid to push the Mountaineer in their first set. Sepa left the Mountaineer stunned after tying the set 4-4 and ended the first set victorious with a score of 6-4. Despite that, Mountaineer sophomore Lyla Byers swung with fresh arms in the second set and won two games over the Cougar. Unfazed, Sepa forced errors and slipped through for a 6-4, 6-3 win.
As tradition continued, Drame followed through for the final Cougar victory. Houston was unsettled at the start of the match by West Virginia’s forehands. However, Drame overcame and canceled the challenge for the first set 6-3. The Mountaineer went into the second set with fury and made a gain for important points, but the Cougar was not far behind for a tied score of 2-2. Once put in a hard spot, the Mountaineer could not escape the grasp of the Cougar. Only three games were given away to the Mountaineer, with Drame advancing and winning 6-3, 6-3.
The remaining matches were concluded after the Cougar Victory.
What’s Next?
With this victory over West Virginia, Houston is now 7-5 in conference. The Cougars will conclude the season by traveling to Cincinnati to face the Bearcats on April 12 at the Trabert-Talbert Tennis Center.
sports@thedailycougar.com
