Huskies Add Two Experienced Transfers

SEATTLE – Washington Women's Tennis Head Coach Robin Stephenson today announced the addition of two transfers who are sure to make an instant impact as Huskies. Astrid Olsen comes to Washington from Pepperdine, and Hikaru Sato heads west across the state from Washington State. Both have started in singles and doubles for ranked Waves and Cougars squads.
 
Sato has three years of experience and will have two years of eligibility remaining, while Olsen has played two years and will have three to play.

 
Sato has predominantly played No. 2 singles for the Cougars for the past three years, posting a record of 48-38 over that time. She has also excelled in doubles with a 59-25 record, primarily at the No. 1 position. The native of Tokyo, Japan was 11-16 in singles this season, while in 2019-20 she was 18-6 in singles and 20-4 in doubles when the season was cut short. As a freshman in 2018-19, Sato and Tiffany Mylonas became the first duo in WSU history to win a match in the NCAA Doubles Championship, as they made the round of 16, and finished the season ranked 19th nationally.
 
"We have been so impressed competing against Hikaru the last few years," says Stephenson. "We are excited for her to join us and bring her experience competing in the Pac-12 and help us take our program to the next level. She's a fiery competitor, has been a top ranked doubles player in the nation and will be an exceptional teammate. I think Hikaru is an incredible fit for our culture and I am excited to be part of her continued development."
 
"Becoming a Husky is a big step to making my dreams come true," Sato says. "I felt that I could improve myself by working hard with the Huskies to get to the next level. I am excited to dive into a new environment. Go Dawgs!"

 
Olsen played on an excellent Pepperdine squad that advanced to the NCAA Championship final this season. This spring, Olsen started seven singles matches, all at the No. 6 spot, and went 6-1 with all six wins coming in straight sets. She had a 6-6 record in dual doubles matches, playing at all three spots. As a freshman in 2019-20, Olsen was 8-3 in singles in the shortened season, playing as high as No. 4.
 
"We cannot wait for Astrid to step onto campus and bring her passion and energy to the Huskies," Stephenson says. "She loves to compete, she's an amazing team-first player that brings so much positivity and has so much upside to her game. She has been a joy to talk to throughout the process and we are so grateful she chose to be a Husky. I have no doubt that her best tennis is ahead of her and that she is going to make a tremendous impact on our program."
 
A native of Hagan, Norway, Olsen competed in the 2017 Wimbledon Juniors and Australian Open Juniors and won the European Championships in doubles. She has been ranked as high as No. 880 in the WTA rankings and No. 47 in the ITF Junior rankings.
 
"I chose UW because of the promising vibe both the coaches and the team gave in addition to the great program the school has to offer," says Olsen, who is "Super pumped to compete and help bring UW women's tennis to another level."