SANTA CLARA, Calif. – The Santa Clara women's tennis team looks to pick up its final two home victories this season when they host Portland on Saturday, April 12 at 12 p.m. and Gonzaga on Sunday, April 13 at 1 p.m. This weekend is full of events in the Degheri Tennis Center with the first-ever women's tennis Alumnae Day on Saturday and Senior Day on Sunday.
Santa Clara boasts a 7-8 overall dual record after its West Coast Conference 4-3 loss to No. 58 BYU. The Broncos are 3-2 at home, 2-5 on the road and 2-1 on neutral surfaces. The team is 2-3 in the WCC this spring season with wins over San Francisco and Loyola Marymount.
The Broncos return to the Mission Campus after a three-match road trip where they went 0-3. The squad is looking to snap a four-match losing streak at home this weekend to finish out WCC competition on a high note.
No. 25 Katie Le
Katie Le currently holds an 11 match winning streak, playing constantly at the No. 1 singles position for the Broncos. The Santa Clara senior has not lost a match since Feb. 14 and has not dropped a set since Feb. 22. Le has only been pushed to three-sets once in dual competition, where she came out with a win over then-No. 41 Sophie Watts of Fresno State by a score of 4-6, 6-1, 7-6(7-3).
Le is currently ranked No. 25 in the ITA singles rankings and has not dropped below No. 35 this 2013-14 season.
Most notably, Le upset then-No. 19 Lorraine Guillermo in a WCC showdown on March 22 in the Degheri Tennis Center. Then-No. 28 Le took the first set from her Pepperdine opponent in hardworking fashion, 7-5. The Bronco senior held on strong to close out the match in a commanding second set, 6-4.
More recently, Le is coming off of a solid WCC victory over Mayci Jones of BYU on April 4. The Bronco senior topped Jones in two quick sets in Provo, Utah, 6-2, 6-4.
The Milpitas, Calif. native posts an impressive 12-1 record in her final dual season at Santa Clara and a 23-4 overall record for the 2013-14 season.
Portland Pilots
Portland stands at 5-7 overall and 1-4 in the WCC. The Portland women's tennis team most recently dropped a 7-0 decision to No. 29 Pepperdine in West Coast Conference action Saturday afternoon at home. The Pilots have lost five matches in a row, falling to LMU 4-3, UC Davis 4-1, Pacific 4-2, and Saint Mary's 7-0. Portland opened the season with 10 consecutive matches away from home.
The Pilots visit San Francisco on Friday at 10 a.m. before heading to Santa Clara on Saturday.
Gonzaga Bulldogs
Gonzaga is currently on pace for its highest WCC finish in program history with an overall record of 8-6 and standing at 3-2 in league. The Bulldogs tally noteworthy wins over Pacific (4-3) and San Diego (4-3). They recently put up a strong performance over LMU (5-2) after falling to a ranked Pepperdine team, 5-0.
Notably, Alexandra Tallas and Katie Edwards won their seventh doubles match of the year with a point clinching 8-5 victory over Kristine Kouyoumjian and Reka Rohonyi of LMU on April 5. The two have the most doubles win of any Gonzaga pair.
GU visits University of San Francisco on Saturday before facing the Broncos on Sunday.
Last Year Against the Pilots
On April 21, the No. 58 Santa Clara women's tennis team finished off West Coast Conference league play with a 4-3 win over Portland on Saturday. Against the Pilots, Santa Clara was able to capture the doubles point early on with wins at the No. 2 and 3 courts.
On the singles side, the Broncos took three of the six individual matches. At the No. 1 spot, No. 28 Katie Le dominated Maja Mladenovic of the Pilots in two straight sets, 6-3, 6-4. Freshman Chelby Cooke battled through three sets after dropping the second set to defeat Valeska Hoath, 7-5, 1-6, 6-1. To take the overall victory, freshman Rouvillois topped Tori Troesch in two-sets 6-1, 6-4.
With this victory, the 2013 WCC regular season concluded with a three-way tie atop the standings between Saint Mary's, Santa Clara and Pepperdine. The Gaels, Broncos and Waves each finished Conference play with a 7-1 record and are co-Champions. The 2013 regular season WCC title was a first for the Santa Clara women's tennis program.
Last Year Against the Bulldogs
Last season, the No. 58 Santa Clara women's tennis team topped Gonzaga University by a score of 6-1 on April 19. The Broncos gained momentum early as they took the doubles point, winning two of the three doubles matches of the day. At the No. 1 court, partners Katie Le and Jessica Agra defeated Katie Edwards and Kylie Peek of the Bulldogs by a score of 8-3. The doubles point was solidified with the 8-6 victory by Stephanie Skaras and Delphine Rouvillois over Alexandra Tallas and Franziska Koehler on the No. 3 position.
On the singles side, Santa Clara tallied five wins out of the six individual matches. Then-No. 28 Le improved to a four-match winning streak as she won in straight sets, 6-2, 6-0, over Katie Edwards of Gonzaga on the No. 1 court. Seniors Kelly Lamble and Alex Zaniewski also captured singles victories at the No. 2 and 3 positions. The final two wins for the Broncos came from freshmen Chelby Cooke and Rouvillois on the No. 4 and 5 courts.
Game Notes—April 12, 2014
Portland vs. Santa Clara @ 12:00 p.m. in Santa Clara, Calif. (Degheri Tennis Center) Alumnae Day
Game Notes—April 13, 2014
Gonzaga vs. Santa Clara @ 1:00 p.m. in Santa Clara, Calif. (Degheri Tennis Center) Senior Day
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