Feb. 22, 2005
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The Santa Clara University women's tennis team defeated San Jose State 6-1 this evening at the Degheri Tennis Center. The Broncos' record moves to 5-3, and the Spartans fall to 1-3 on the season.
The win also adds two points to the Broncos' total in the larger Rivalry Series between the two schools. Created in the fall of 2002 to build a rivalry between the universities in all sports, Santa Clara leads this year's contest 21-4.
Santa Clara swept doubles, but just as singles was getting underway, the match was suspended for 45 minutes due to rain showers. Once back in action, the Broncos extended their lead. Kimberly Daniel added the team's second point with her 6-1, 6-0 victory on court five.
Four more Bronco victories followed, including two come-from-behind winners. Kelly Leathers was down 4-2 in her first set on court two, but rallied to win the next four games and then shut out her opponent in the second frame. Senior Janalle Kaloi accomplished a similar feat at the top singles position, overcoming a 2-5 first-set deficit in her 7-6, 6-0 win over Courtney Koenigsfeld.
San Jose State's lone point came from Ashley Tavita's win on court six.
"I'm really proud of how the team came out, looking to put their game onto an opponent," head coach Damon Coupe said. "San Jose State is a tough team to play and can throw you off with their style; however, our team was able to make the small adjustments necessary to gain a physical and mental advantage."
Santa Clara opens the West Coast Conference season on Friday, also the start of a four-match road trip. The Broncos will visit Bay Area rival San Francisco on Friday at 1 p.m. and follow with three matches in three days the following week: at Pacific on March 4, at UC Davis on March 5 and Loyola Marymount in Moraga on March 6.
Doubles
1. Kaloi/Leathers (SCU) def. Harms/Tavita (SJSU) 8-2
2. Cochrane/Daniel (SCU) def. Lee/Larijani (SJSU) 8-2
3. Barnes/J. Strunk (SCU) def. Koenigsfeld/Van (SJSU) 8-4
Singles
1. Janalle Kaloi (SCU) vs. Courtney Koenigsfeld (SJSU) 7-6, 6-0
2. Kelly Leathers (SCU) def. Elke Harms (SJSU) 6-4, 6-0
3. Catherine Cochrane (SCU) def. June Lee (SJSU) 6-1, 7-6
4. Erika Barnes (SCU) def. Kathy Van (SJSU) 6-4, 6-3
5. Kimberly Daniel (SCU) def. Stephanie Irwin (SJSU) 6-1, 6-0
6. Ashley Tavita (SJSU) def. Jessie Strunk (SCU) 6-4, 6-3