April 3, 2007
Up Next
Santa Clara has a busy week in women's tennis as Ben Cabell's squad takes on Washington State, Texas-Arlington and Southern Methodist. The Broncos host the No. 41 Washington State Cougars on Thursday, April 5 at 9:00 a.m. PT at the Degheri Tennis Center. SCU hits the road that afternoon to travel to Texas where the team will play Texas-Arlington on Friday, April 6 at 10:30 a.m. PT and No. 56 SMU on Saturday, April 7 at 12 noon PT.
Last Week
Santa Clara played only one match last week, losing to San Francisco 4-3 on April 1 at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. The Broncos lost the doubles point, despite a win at No. 1 doubles by Erika Barnes and Casey Knutson, to fall behind 1-0. In singles, the Dons kept the momentum by going up 3-0 on wins by Joana Macedo and Mylene Martin against Barnes and Kim Daniel respectively. Santa Clara stormed back behind wins from Linsday McBride, Stephanie Galainene and Casey Knutson to knot the match at 3-3. However, the comeback came up just short as Myra Davoudi lost a tough three-setter to Camille Pamart at No. 1.
Notes
Daniel/Knutson Now Eighth Overall In Singles Wins
Casey Knutson defeated Emma Taylor of San Francisco on April 1 for her 48th career win, tying her with Kim Daniel for eighth place all-time in singles wins in Santa Clara history. Erin Barry (1993-96) is currently seventh with 51 career wins.
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 eight matches so far this season, she has moved up to a tie for fifth place with 53 wins. She is tied with Tara Regan (1994-97) after her win alongside Casey Knutson against San Francisco on April 1.
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 an 8-4 record in doubles and they now have 11 wins together this season. They are three wins away from tying four other doubles pairs for seventh all-time with 14 doubles wins in a single season. For their careers, Barnes and Knutson have won 14 matches together, a number that puts them into a tie with Kelly Leathers and Barnes and Kimmie Ouchi and Keley Sweeney for 10th all-time in career doubles wins. Santa Clara has seven regular season matches remaining prior to the WCC Championships for them to move up the rankings.
Doubles Consistency
The Broncos have had very good consistency with their pairings in doubles this season unlike last year. In 2006, 12 different pairs played a dual match for the Broncos and no doubles pair played more than 10 matches together in the dual season. This year, Casey Knutson and Erika Barnes have already played 12 together, while Stephanie Galainena and Lindsay McBride and Kim Daniel and Myra Davoudi have played nine apiece. The team has had six different pairings in doubles in 2007. The Broncos already have 17 wins in doubles this year in duals, just three fewer than last season. Overall, SCU has 26 doubles wins in 2006-07 and needs three more wins to surpass last season's total of 28.
Tying 2006
The Broncos have now won 32 singles matches in duals in 2007, tying them with last season's dual match win total of 32.
Last Match Against Washington State
The Broncos traveled to Pullman to take on the Cougars on Feb. 10, 2006 with only five healthy players. Santa Clara battled hard, but fell 7-0 after defaulting one doubles match and one singles match. The doubles teams of Erika Barnes and Kelly Leathers and Myra Davoudi and Stephanie Galainena both lost to give the Cougars the doubles point. In singles, Washington State came out hard and swept all five matches in straight sets. The Broncos were forced to default on Court No. 6 and the Cougars had their 7-0 win.
Scouting Washington State
Washington State is 12-8 on the season after losing to No. 48 Boise State last weekend and the Cougars are ranked No. 41. The team has been up and down this season, winning eight of its first nine matches, followed by five consecutive losses. The Cougars had won three straight prior to the loss to Boise State on April 1. In non-conference play, the team has posted a 10-3 record and has defeated West Coast Conference opponents Gonzaga (7-0) and Portland (7-0). Lisa Hart's squad will also play Stanford and California this weekend after playing the Broncos.
Scouting Texas-Arlington
The Mavs of Texas-Arlington are currently 10-2 on the season and 7-1 in the Southland Conference. They have won six matches in a row and have won six matches this season by 7-0 scores. The team beat Central Arkansas on April 2 and plays Texas-Pan American on Thursday, April 5, prior to the match against the Broncos on April 6.
Scouting Southern Methodist
SMU is currently No. 56 in the national rankings and has a 12-8 record after beating No. 41 Wisconsin last week. The Mustangs have won five matches in a row and play Texas-Pan American on Wednesday, April 4 at home. All eight of the team's losses have come against ranked opponents. The beat the Broncos' WCC rival San Francisco 4-0 on March 16.
Cabell's Take
Head coach Ben Cabell, on busy week: "We have to play hard and tough out these three matches. If we go out and compete, we can have some success this week and we can also use these matches to get better. We are playing two ranked teams and another very good team in three days so we have to be ready for the challenge. If we do things right, the team can be very competitive against all three teams."
Cabell, on preparing for so many matches in a short period of time: "We have cut our practices a little shorter so that we stay energetic for the matches. Most of the hard work has already been done this year. Now the key is to stay fresh and stay healthy. We have done a great job of being fit and healthy so far. We need to keep it that going and just compete hard every match."