March 20, 2007
Up Next
The Bronco women's tennis team looks to extend its two-match winning streak to four this weekend with two important West Coast Conference matches. On Saturday, March 24, Santa Clara hosts the University of Portland at 10:00 a.m. PT at the Degheri Tennis Center. Saturday is Senior Day for women's tennis as the program will honor the contributions of graduating seniors Erika Barnes, Kim Daniel and Casey Knutson prior to the match. The following day, SCU heads to Moraga to play the Saint Mary's Gaels in another WCC contest. The match begins at 12:00 noon at Saint Mary's.
Last Week
Santa Clara won two matches last weekend to move above .500 for the first time this season with a 5-4 mark. On March 16, the Broncos took out Montana 6-1 at the Degheri Tennis Center with dominating performances up and down the lineup. Freshman Meghan Madden played her first dual match and earned a win at No. 5 singles, while Stephanie Galainena, Lindsay McBride and Myra Davoudi all earned straight-set wins as well. The Broncos followed up that victory with a 7-0 sweep of North Texas on March 18 at home. All three doubles teams had outstanding matches to win the doubles point. The Broncos then won all six singles matches in straight sets, highlighted by a hard-fought 6-0, 7-6 (13-11) win at No. 1 by senior Casey Knutson.
Notes
Cabell's Take
Head coach Ben Cabell, on three seniors: "Casey Knutson, Kim Daniel and Erika Barnes have been the backbone of this team for the last four years. It has not been easy for them, as they have had a number of different coaches during their time here and they have all battled through injuries. Regardless of the situation they have come out every day at practice ready to work hard and they have competed in each and every match. All three of them give everything they have for their team. Kim Casey and Erika represent the best of Bronco sports and we will miss them greatly next year."
Seniors By The Numbers
Seniors Erika Barnes, Kim Daniel and Casey Knutson will be honored prior to Saturday's match against Portland. The three players have left their mark on Santa Clara with their strong play over the past five years. The three have combined for 133 singles wins and 91 doubles wins in their careers. They were also part of the team that reached as high as No. 70 in the ITA rankings in 2005.
Daniel Now Eighth Overall In Singles Wins
Kim Daniel posted the 47th win of her career on March 18 against North Texas at No. 4 singles. With the win Daniel moved into a tie for eighth all-time in singles wins with Mariko Kawakami (2000-03). Casey Knutson also won against North Texas, keeping her just behind Daniel and Kawakami in ninth place all-time with 46 wins.
Barnes On A Streak
Senior Erika Barnes continued her hot play over the weekend against Montana and North Texas. She won two doubles matches with Casey Knutson and also won a singles match against North Texas. She did not play on March 16 against Montana. She has now won four straight singles matches, while teaming with Casey Knutson to win four out of her last five in doubles. Her singles streak began with a comeback 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 win over Joana Macedo of USF on Feb. 23 in a 4-3 Broncos win. She then earned a straight-sets win against San Jose State on March 1, before being the only Bronco to get a singles win versus Loyola Marymount on March 7. In doubles, she has combined with Casey Knutson to win six matches during the dual season and nine overall this year.
Barnes Moving Up All-Time Doubles Leaderboard
Erika Barnes entered the 2007 dual season with 45 combined doubles wins in her career, placing her 10th all-time in program history in doubles wins. By winning six matches this season, she has moved up to seventh place with 51 wins. She is now one win behind Lindsay Colker (1996-99) for sixth all-time.
Barnes and Knutson Near Top-10
The doubles tandem of Erika Barnes and Casey Knutson has proven to be one of the strengths for the Broncos this season. In the dual season, Barnes and Knutson have posted a 6-3 record in doubles and they now have nine wins together this season. They are five wins away from tying four other doubles pairs for seventh all-time with 14 doubles wins in a singles season. For their careers, Barnes and Knutson have won 12 matches together, a number that puts them two behind two other pairs for 10th all-time in career doubles wins. Santa Clara has 10 regular season matches remaining prior to the WCC Championships.
Doubles Lineup
Prior to the match against Gonzaga on Feb. 17, head coach Ben Cabell switched the doubles lineup and paired Stephanie Galainena and Lindsay McBride at No. 2 and Kim Daniel and Myra Davoudi at No. 3. The move has worked out well so far for the Broncos. Galainena and McBride lost their first match together, but have now won five out of their past six matches to earn a 5-2 record so far this season. Daniel and Davoudi have played well also, posting a 4-2 record since the switch.
Daniel Leading Way
Senior Kim Daniel moved her record to 6-1 during the dual match season with a 6-0, 6-1 win over Emi Itabashi of North Texas. She has won matches at No. 4, No. 5 and No. 6 in the lineup for SCU. She is currently leading the team in wins in the dual match season. Her match against Loyola Marymount on March 7 was called due to weather after LMU clinched the overall match 5-1.
Four Out Of Five
SCU has won four out of its past five matches and are above the .500 mark at 5-4. The Bronco women's tennis team has not been above .500 since the 2005 dual season.
Last Match Against Portland
The Broncos split two matches with the University of Portland Pilots last season. In the first meeting on Jan. 29, 2006, SCU grabbed a 4-1 win. In doubles, Erika Barnes and Casey Knutson won big 8-1 over Lindsey Griffin/Laura Leoni at No. 2, while Samantha Georgino and Kelly Leathers won at No. 1 to give SCU the doubles point. Knutson, Leathers and Stephanie Galainena then won at singles to give SCU the victory. In the rematch on April 22, 2006 at the WCC Championships, Portland turned the tables on the Broncos with a 4-1 win. The Pilots won doubles and then took three singles matches. Knutson won the Broncos lone match at No. 1 singles.
Scouting Portland
The Pilots have gotten off to a solid start in 2007, putting together a 9-5 record and winning five of their past seven matches. They play all three Bay Area WCC schools this weekend on the road, taking on Saint Mary's on Friday afternoon in Moraga, before playing Santa Clara Saturday and San Francisco on Sunday. The Pilots are a young team, featuring no seniors and five freshmen and sophomores on the roster. Kim Daniel took on the Pilots top player Jenna Tanzer at the ITA Northwest Regional on Oct. 20, 2006 and fell in a tight 6-4, 6-3 match. The Broncos Myra Davoudi also faced one of the Pilots top players, defeating Lindsey Griffin in a back and forth match, 6-4, 6-7 (4), 6-3 at the Saint Mary's Invitational on Oct. 13, 2006.
Last Match Against Saint Mary's
Santa Clara could not keep pace with the Gaels in the first match of the season between the two teams on Feb. 18. The Broncos fell 7-0 with Stephanie Galainena and Lindsay McBride picking up the team's only win at No. 2 doubles. Casey Knutson forced a tiebreaker at No. 1 singles against Aude Lambert, but lost 7-6 (7-2), 6-2. The Gaels swept the other five singles matches in straight sets.
Scouting Saint Mary's
The Gaels burst out of the gate in 2007 winning their first 10 matches of the season, before losing to Penn 4-3 to drop them to 10-1 on the season. In their opening run, Saint Mary's defeated fellow WCC opponents Gonzaga (7-0), San Francisco (6-1), Loyola Marymount (5-2) and San Diego (5-2). The Gaels were ranked 70th in the latest FILA Collegiate Tennis rankings.