April 3, 2002
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The Santa Clara University women's tennis team hosts Cal Poly and Saint Mary's this weekend at the SCU Tennis Center.
The action begins on Saturday at 11 a.m. when the Broncos take on the Mustangs in non-conference play. At the same time on Sunday, Santa Clara will return to West Coast Conference action against the Gaels. The SCU Tennis Center is located between the Leavey Center and Bellomy Field. Admission is free and the weather is expected to be partly cloudy with temperatures reaching the low 70s.
The Broncos, 9-7 overall and 3-1 in league play, are 6-3 on their home courts, with two of those loses to ranked opposition. The team is led by junior Christine Limbers and freshman Janalle Kaloi at the top of the singles lineup. They have won a combined 30 matches in singles action this season.
Cal Poly is 8-8 on the season and will play San Jose State prior to meeting the Broncos. The two teams met during a round robin tournament in fall play, but both squads were without two of their top six players, so head coach Aby Ryan said although not a totally accurate measure of the two teams, the fall matches were close and she expects another tight contest this Saturday.
"We match up with Cal Poly pretty evenly, so this will be an exciting event," she said. "I'm expecting a 4-3 match either way. If everybody on our team plays their best, we'll come out with a stronger result, but this is going to be a close one."
Fans attending the Cal Poly match will be able to enjoy the program's newest addition to its three-year-old facility, an electronic scoreboard. With its LED display, scores can be viewed from all courts and the stands, with each court having a wireless controller that allows in-progress match scores to be sent to the board during changeovers.
"We're really excited for our scoreboard debut," Ryan continued. "It will be nice to see our victories shining bright and big for everybody to see."
The Broncos have little time to rest before returning to the courts the following morning for a conference match up against Saint Mary's. Santa Clara topped the Gaels 6-1 in the teams' March contest, and Ryan said although the Gaels have improved, she expects her team to take care of business.