March 9, 2006
Los Gatos, Calif. - With the loss of one of its best singles players, the Santa Clara women's tennis team could have folded in the face of such adversity, but showed a true competitive spirit after hanging on to beat South Bay rival San Jose State 4-3. Kelly Leathers, who has fluctuated between the No. 1 and 2 singles spots, was injured this afternoon and did not play her singles match. Her teammates picked up the rest of the slack and secured the victory and thus providing the Broncos (5-8) with three more Rivalry Series points.
Santa Clara returns to the courts on Saturday for a noon match-up with West Coast Conference rival Loyola Marymount down in Los Angeles, Calif.
The Broncos picked up the doubles point to start the afternoon after winning the bottom two matches. Erika Barnes teamed up with Stephanie Galainena to take out Elke Harms and Courtney Koenigsfeld 8-3 at the No. 2 spot, while Myra Davoudi and Kim Daniel defeated Silvana Dukic and Dana Popescu 8-2 on Court 3. Casey Knutson and Leathers dropped their match at the No. 1 position to Amber Silverstone and Ashley Tavita 8-3. Midway through the contest, Leathers was hit in the eye and despite her ability to finish out the doubles match, she was rested in singles as a precaution.
Reshuffling the line-up, the Broncos still had enough depth to eek out the win. Davoudi made it 2-0 after her easy 6-1, 6-1 triumph over Sanda Hadzisabic, though losses by Galainena and Knutson on Courts 1 and 2 evened the dual match at 2-2. Kim Daniel's 6-4, 6-4 victory at the No. 4 position over Silvana Dukic put her team ahead again and Barnes sealed the team win with a 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 victory over Amber Silverstone at the No. 3 spot. Stephanie Herrmann dropped her match to Elke Harms to account for the final margin.
"It was a rough day, weather wise. The wind was just howling out there. It was swirling and making the conditions really tough," said head coach Damon Coupe. "And then to have one of our top players out with an injury, the rest of the team really stepped up and competed their hearts out."
Santa Clara 4, San Jose State 3
Doubles (Santa Clara wins the doubles point)
1. Amber Silverstone/Ashley Tavita (SJSU) def. Casey Knutson/Kelly Leathers (SCU), 8-3
2. Erika Barnes/Stephanie Galainena (SCU) def. Elke Harms/Courtney Koenigsfeld (SJSU), 8-3
3. Myra Davoudi/Kim Daniel (SCU) def. Silvana Dukic/Dana Popescu (SJSU), 8-2
Singles
1. Courtney Koenigsfeld (SJSU) def. Stephanie Galainena (SCU), 6-3, 6-2
2. Ashley Tavita (SJSU) def. Casey Knutson (SCU), 6-0, 6-4
3. Erika Barnes (SCU) def. Amber Silverstone (SJSU), 4-6, 6-1, 6-2
4. Kim Daniel (SCU) def. Silvana Dukic (SJSU), 6-4, 6-4
5. Myra Davoudi (SCU) def. Sanda Hadzisabic (SJSU), 6-1, 6-1
6. Elke Harms (SJSU) def. Stephanie Herrmann (SJSU), 4-6, 6-3, 6-0
