Oct. 2, 2004
PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. - Four members of the Santa Clara University women's tennis team participated in the 2004 Riviera/ITA Women's All-American Pre-Qualifying Championships this afternoon. Matches took place at UCLA and at the Riviera Tennis Club in Pacific Palisades.
Senior Janalle Kaloi defeated Dasha Zhurin in the first round of the singles competition. She will play Maria Husain of Penn State in second-round action Sunday at 10 a.m. Sophomore Kelly Leathers also competed in singles, as she came off the alternate list on Friday and into the draw. Although winning the first set 6-1 over Maryland's Jennifer Dent, Leathers fell in three sets.
She and fellow sophomore Erika Barnes paired up in the doubles competition and lost in the first round in a tiebreaker. Kaloi and senior Catherine Cochrane also fell in first-round doubles action.
The Riviera/ITA Women's All-American Championships is the first of three collegiate tennis championships this season, and is considered the premier hard court event of the fall season, as it features the top players in Division I tennis.
The 128-player (64 doubles) pre-qualifying tournament is being held through Sunday. Four players and four doubles teams will advance from there to a 64-player qualifier tournament, Oct. 5-6 at the Riviera Tennis Club. Eight players and four doubles teams will advance to the main draw. Should players advance through the pre-qualifying and qualifying tournaments, the main draw will take place Oct. 7-10.
Santa Clara will continue its fall season in two weeks, taking part in the Saint Mary's Invitational, hosted by the Gaels in Moraga.
Singles, First Round
Jennifer Dent (MD) def. Kelly Leathers (SCU) 1-6, 7-6 (3), 6-3
Janalle Kaloi (SCU) def. Dasha Zhurin (CSU) 6-4, 4-6, 6-4
Doubles, First Round
Bentzer/Hu (UCI) def. Kaloi/Cochrane (SCU) 8-3
Saaibi/Valdes (TUL) def. Barnes/Leathers (SCU) 9-8 (3)