Dean Hare/WSU Photo Services
PULLMAN, Wash. – Freshman Hikaru Sato's ace on match point clinched a Washington State victory as the 35th-ranked Cougars defeated Arizona, 6-1, Sunday morning at the WSU Outdoor Tennis Courts.
With the win the Cougars improve to 17-5 on the season, 2-3 in Pac-12 play. Arizona falls to 9-10, 1-7.
With WSU leading 3-0, Sato fired an ace against Arizona's Marie Van Aelst to secure a 6-1, 4-6, 6-2 win at No. 2 singles, pushing the Cougar lead to 4-0 with three matches remaining.
After capturing the opening doubles point, the Cougars increased the lead to 3-0 with straight set wins from Yang Lee and Michaela Bayerlova.