April 21, 2006
For complete results of the West Coast Conference Championships, please click here.
Santa Clara, Calif. - The Santa Clara women's tennis team opened up the West Coast Conference Championships with a tough 4-1 loss to No. 67 Loyola Marymount this afternoon at the Degheri Tennis Center. The host Broncos were led by Myra Davoudi, who scored a victory at the No. 6 slot to garner the lone point for her team. Santa Clara was boosted by a large home crowd and head coach Damon Coupe was pleased by the effort his squad put forth today against a tough conference rival.
"I'm extremely proud of the way we competed. That was the goal coming in. Loyola Marymount is a tough, ranked team," stated Coupe following the match that pitted the third-seeded Lions against the sixth-seeded Broncos. "The girls just came in, weren't intimidated, and went after their shots. Loyola competed extremely tough and it was a battle up until the very end. They left it out on the court and that's all we could ask out of them."
Santa Clara drops its overall record to 6-12 on the year, 2-4 in conference, and returns to action tomorrow morning against Portland on the second day of the WCC Championships. Game time is scheduled for 11 a.m.
The competition started off right away with singles, as the doubles point was not immediately contested due to weather constraints. First off the court was Davoudi, as her 6-1, 6-0 victory over Shawnell Russell gave the Broncos an early 1-0 lead. However, it would be short-lived, as Erin Ivey beat Erika Barnes 6-2, 6-2 on Court 5 to tie the score at 1-1 and Maja Sundac took out Kim Daniel 7-5, 6-0 at the No. 4 spot to take a 2-1 advantage. Kelly Leathers dropped her match at No. 1 to Pavla Mesterova 6-2, 6-4, and the Lions clinched the dual match after Robyn Baker outlasted Casey Knutson 6-4, 6-3 on Court 2. After Loyola Marymount obtained the necessary fourth point, all remaining matches were abandoned.
No. 67 Loyola Marymount 4, Santa Clara 1
Singles
1. Pavla Mesterova (LMU) def. Kelly Leathers (SCU), 6-2, 6-4
2. Robyn Baker (LMU) def. Casey Knutson (SCU), 6-4, 6-3
3. Patricia Hubl (LMU) vs. Stephanie Galainena (SCU), DNF
4. Maja Sundac (LMU) def. Kim Daniel (SCU), 7-5, 6-0
5. Erin Ivey (LMU) def. Erika Barnes (SCU), 6-2, 6-2
6. Myra Davoudi (SCU) def. Shawnell Russell (LMU), 6-1, 6-0
Doubles was not contested.
