After a three-week pause, the Boise State women’s tennis team, ranked No. 59 nationally, is set to compete in Spokane, Washington on Feb. 28. The Broncos will face Gonzaga at noon Mountain Time and Eastern Washington at 6 p.m.
Gonzaga enters the match with a 5-4 record and is currently on a two-match losing streak. The Bulldogs have played four Mountain West opponents this season, recording victories over Colorado State, Utah State and New Mexico, but falling to UNLV. Historically, Boise State has yet to secure a win against Gonzaga; the Bulldogs lead the series 9-0.
Eastern Washington holds a 6-3 record and comes into Thursday’s contest riding a five-match winning streak, which includes a recent narrow victory over Utah State. In their history of matchups with Eastern Washington, Boise State has won the last 17 meetings out of 26 total encounters. Their most recent meeting in 2025 ended with Boise State claiming a 7-0 win.
The Broncos’ current national ranking marks their first appearance in the top 75 this season by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA). They finished last season ranked No. 54.
Head coach Beck Roghaar is approaching a program milestone; he is one win away from breaking the all-time record for head coaching victories at Boise State. Roghaar currently shares the record of 181 career wins with Mark Tichenor.
Carla Grignac was recognized as both Mountain West Player and Freshman of the Week after her performance at No. 6 singles against nationally ranked Washington. She became only the third player in conference history—and second in program history—to receive both honors simultaneously.
Last year, Boise State secured its first conference tournament title since 2010 by winning the Mountain West Tournament after defeating Fresno State, San Diego State and UNLV.
Roghaar received recognition as both MW Coach of the Year and ITA Mountain Region Coach of the Year for his leadership during the previous season—his third time earning conference coach honors and his first regional accolade.
Among current players, Zdena Safarova ranks sixth all-time for career wins at No.1 singles (24), while Gaye McManus holds the program record with fifty wins from that position between 1994 and 1998.
In addition to Safarova’s All-MW honors in singles and doubles last year—where she was also named tournament MVP—Paula Schaefer earned All-Tournament honors at No.4 singles and Masa Viriant at No.6 singles.
This year’s roster includes six returning players: Ryan Kershner (senior), Lorelyz Marruffo (redshirt senior), Ella Piron (junior), Safarova (junior), Schaefer (sophomore) and Viriant (sophomore). Two transfers join them: Allison Isaacs (senior) and Tereza Polakova (junior). Freshmen Stella Beldiman and Grignac complete the lineup.
Bhakti Shah returns as an assistant coach following her graduation in 2025; Shauna Heffernan remains on staff with expanded responsibilities previously held by Errol Smith.
Live statistics for Gonzaga will be available online along with live streaming for both matches. Updates can also be found via social media platforms including X (@BroncoSportsWTN), Instagram (@BoiseStateWTEN) and Facebook (“Boise State Women’s Tennis”).
“Coach Beck Roghaar is one win away from breaking our program’s all-time head coaching victories record,” said athletic department officials ahead of this week’s matches.
