Feb. 28, 2007

Up Next
The Santa Clara Broncos play their only match of the week on Thursday, March 1 at the Degheri Tennis Center against San Jose State University at 2 p.m. PT. The team looks to get its record back to the .500 mark for the year. A win would also clinch the Rivalry Series for Santa Clara for the fifth straight year.

Last Week
The Santa Clara women's tennis team bounced back with an exciting 4-3 win over the University of San Francisco on Feb. 23 at the Degheri Tennis Center. The match had a scintillating conclusion as both No. 4 Erika Barnes and No. 6 Stephanie Galainena won their matches seconds apart to bring SCU back from a 3-2 deficit to a 4-3 triumph. At No. 4, Barnes lost the first set, but came back to capture the final two sets in a win over Joana Macedo 2-6, 6-3, 6-4. Moments after Barnes won her match, Galainena clinched the match at No. 6 with a three-set victory of her own over Nisha Dixit 6-4, 2-5, 6-4. The Broncos also got a win from Kim Daniel at No. 5, who earned a straight set victory of 6-2, 6-0. In doubles, Santa Clara gained a lot of momentum to carry into the singles matches with two wins to claim the point. Playing at the No. 1 position, Casey Knutson and Barnes put together another impressive performance to defeat Mylene Martin and Camille Pamart 8-6. Galainena and Lindsay McBride won their second doubles match in a row with an 8-6 win over Kelly and Lauren Hickey.

Notes

Daniel Tied For Eighth Overall In Singles Wins
Kim Daniel posted the 44th win of her career last Friday against San Francisco at No. 5 singles to move past Casey Knutson into a tie for the eighth spot in Bronco career singles victories. She is now tied with Kelly Leathers, who played from 2003-06. Casey Knutson lost her match against USF leaving her at 43 wins in 10th place on the career list.

Senior Leadership
Bronco seniors Erika Barnes, Kim Daniel and Casey Knutson have led the way for SCU this season. The trio has won earned seven of the 10 singles wins in duals for the Broncos this year. In doubles, Barnes and Knutson have posted a 3-2 record at No. 1 doubles, while Daniel combined with junior Myra Davoudi for a doubles win. Seniors have been involved with four out of six doubles wins during the dual season.

Last Match Against San Jose State
Santa Clara pulled out a tight 4-3 win in the Rivalry Series on March 9, 2006. The Broncos captured the doubles point behind wins from Erika Barnes and Stephanie Galainena and Myra Davoudi and Kim Daniel. The middle of the lineup then came up big for SCU with Kim Daniel and Myra Davoudi winning straight set matches at No. 4 and No. 5. With a 3-2 edge on the scoreboard, Barnes clinched the match with a come-from-behind three set win over Amber Silverstone 4-6, 6-1, 6-2.

Cabell's Take
Head coach Ben Cabell, on beating USF: "We lost to them last year so it was nice to get a win over them. They beat UC Santa Barbara the next day and we lost to Santa Barbara earlier this year. That shows that we are improving and getting better."

Cabell, on three set wins: "We won two three-setters last week and Lindsay nearly came back to win her match in three sets. I am happy to see that toughness and determination. We did not buckle with the pressure and we hit some big shots in key moments. Erika and Stephanie deserve a lot of credit for that."

Cabell, on San Jose State: "They are a team that can catch fire so you have to be ready for them. Last year we won a close match 4-3. If we play tougher and steadier than them, we can beat them, but they will definitely not roll over."

Cabell, on two conference wins: "Beating USF got us to 2-1 in conference. We are trying to get the fourth or fifth seed in the conference championships so that was a big step towards that goal. We have some more conference matches coming up so we need to keep progressing as a team."