Feb. 16, 2007
Up Next
The Santa Clara Broncos return home this weekend for their first matches of the year at the Degheri Tennis Center. The team played on the road in all of their tournaments in the fall and have played two road matches so far in dual match season. SCU opens their home slate against two West Coast Conference foes, playing Gonzaga on Saturday, Feb. 17 at 10:00 a.m. PT and Saint Mary's on Sunday, Feb. 18 at 11:00 a.m. PT.
Last Week
The Broncos had their match on Feb. 10 against Pacific postponed due to rain before taking on UC Davis on Feb. 13. The Broncos fell 5-2 to UC Davis on the road. Seniors Casey Knutson and Erika Barnes won their doubles match at No. 1 doubles, while Knutson and senior Kim Daniel won their singles matches. Daniel has now won two straight singles matches this season.
Notes:
Daniel/Knutson Moving Up The Charts
Seniors Casey Knutson and Kim Daniel each won their singles matches against UC Davis on Feb. 13. Both players now have 43 career singles wins. The pair is currently tied for ninth all-time in Bronco history in wins. With two more wins, Knutson and Daniel will move into the No. 8 spot held by Kelly Leathers, who played from 2003-05.
Georgino Out For Season
Sophomore Samantha Georgino will be out for the rest of the season after recently undergoing major surgery on her elbow. Her recovery time is set for nine months. Georgino struggled with the injury in the fall before having the surgery just prior to the spring season. She last played in the Bulldog Classic in Fresno, Calif. in September.
Last Match Against Gonzaga
The Broncos had a tough match against Gonzaga on Feb. 10, 2006, traveling all day from Santa Clara to Spokane to play a night match against the Bulldogs. Despite the difficult travel day, the Broncos captured the match 4-2. Samantha Georgino, Erika Barnes, Myra Davoudi and Stephanie Hermann all won their matches for SCU. All four players won their matches in straight sets. Doubles was not played due to the travel schedule.
Last Match Against Saint Mary's
Santa Clara had a tough day against the Gaels, dropping all six singles matches and two out of the three doubles matches in a 7-0 loss in Moraga. Kelly Leathers and Myra Davoudi defeated Feline Charlot and Kate Harden 8-5 in doubles for SCU's only win of the day. Erika Barnes and Stephanie Galainena nearly earned a second doubles win but fell 8-6 to Aude Lambert and Jessica Hoath in No. 1 doubles. In singles the Broncos lost all but one match in straight sets.
Home Sweet Home
After starting out the season with two road matches, SCU plays five straight duals on its home court and eight out of the next nine at home. The Broncos play four WCC opponents in the next five matches, taking on Gonzaga, Saint Mary's, San Francisco and Loyola Marymount.
Cabell's Take
Head coach Ben Cabell, on weekend's matches: "Gonzaga is a good team and we will have to come out strong against them to get a win. If we improve upon our play from the Davis match then we will have a good chance to win. Against Saint Mary's we will have to step it up again. They are a team that will probably end up in the rankings this year. If we can get a win against them that will give us a big boost."
Cabell, on home court atmosphere: "The team is really looking forward to playing in front of its own fans. We have had so many road tournaments and matches and not gotten the great support we get at home. We are excited to be at home for two big WCC matches this weekend."
Cabell, on facing four WCC opponents in next five matches: "These matches will provide a good test for us and show us where are as a team. We want to finish as high as we can in the conference this year and these four matches will be important for us to accomplish that goal. If we do well against them now that will give us confidence in the WCC Tournament."
Cabell, on Casey Knutson's play: "Casey has really stepped up into that No. 1 position and played well. She is showing great leadership and has set a great example for the other players. On and off the court, she has been everything that this team needs in a captain."