Erika Matsuda and Reece Carter, seniors on the University of Washington women’s tennis team, have helped propel the Huskies to a 12-0 record this season, including a 3-0 mark in Big Ten Conference play, according to a March 18 announcement. The team recently secured a 4-1 victory against Oregon in Eugene.
The success of the Huskies is significant as they aim for their first conference title and a fifth consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament. Last year, the squad reached the second round of the tournament and finished with a 21-5 record, tying for the second-most wins in program history.
Carter, who transferred from Arizona after two years, said, “We haven’t really been thinking too much about the winning streak. In all honesty, we’ve just been showing up every day with the same positive attitude and having a lot of fun.” Matsuda added that team culture has played an important role: “I think the culture is one of the big things for us. We always care about our teammates – there’s no one who is selfish. I think that’s one of the reasons everyone feels comfortable being together and being able to compete.”
Head coach Robin Stephenson credited both players for their leadership on and off the court. “I would take them at 1-2 in any match and feel confident they can get it done,” Stephenson said. “They have a lot of experience, they’re very mature, and they’ve come a long way in the time they’ve worked with us. Their maturity and consistency and the way they lead by example – I can’t say enough about them.”
Matsuda has built an impressive singles record during her four years at Washington and achieved notable results in junior Grand Slam tournaments before joining college tennis. Carter has also excelled since transferring from Arizona, where she was named to All Pac-12 first teams both seasons she played there.
Looking ahead, both players are focused on finishing their final collegiate season strongly before pursuing careers outside tennis—Matsuda in food systems and nutrition, Carter possibly in law school. As Carter said about their approach this year: “If you watch all of our matches this year, we’ve both really embodied that: having fun, competing, and enjoying it.”
