SANTA CLARA, Calif. – The Santa Clara women's tennis team wraps up the regular season with two final West Coast Conference matches this weekend. On Friday, April 18, the Broncos head over to the East Bay to face No. 46 Saint Mary's at 12 p.m. and continue onto Stockton, Calif. to take on Pacific on Saturday, April 19 at 11 a.m.
Santa Clara boasts a 9-8 overall dual record after its West Coast Conference win over Gonzaga on April 13. The Broncos are 5-2 at home, 2-5 on the road and 2-1 on neutral surfaces. The team is 4-3 in the WCC this spring season with wins over San Francisco, Loyola Marymount, Portland and Gonzaga.
The Bronco squad is looking to extend its two-match winning streak before heading into the WCC Championships on April 23 in San Diego, Calif.
The Broncos
After a convincing 6-1 win over Portland on April 12, the Santa Clara women's tennis team battled to a 4-3 Senior Day victory against Gonzaga to go 2-0 this weekend. Seniors Katie Le and Stephanie Skaras tallied the two decisive singles wins that put the Broncos on top of the Bulldogs in the team's last home contest.
All eyes will be on Le on Friday at Saint Mary's. Le goes up against fellow ranked WCC player Jenny Jullien of the Gaels on court one. The two seniors have faced each other twice over their careers, splitting the overall matchup 1-1. Le is currently No. 27 in the ITA rankings while Jullien holds the No. 12 spot.
Le is currently on a hot winning streak with 13 wins in a row playing consistently at the No. 1 singles position. The Milpitas, Calif. native has not lost a match since Feb. 14 and posts an impressive 14-1 record in her final dual season at Santa Clara. Le is 25-4 overall for the 2013-14 season and stands No. 1 for most wins all-time. Le has not dropped below No. 35 this 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.
Saint Mary's Gaels
Saint Mary's enters this week's contest ranked No. 46 in the nation. The Gaels come in with an 11-7 overall record and 5-2 mark in the West Coast Conference after splitting a pair of matches in Southern California last week. The Gaels had a tough day in the Malibu sun last Saturday, falling to host Pepperdine 4-0. They bounced back the next day though, earning a 4-0 win of their own against Loyola Marymount as they make one final push toward the WCC Championships that take place next week in San Diego.
Saint Mary's is lead by Jenny Jullien at the No. 1 position. Jullien is currently ranked No. 12 by ITA. The numbers have been impressive in the spring, as the reining WCC Player of the Year is 5-2 against ranked competition in 2014 after recently falling to Pepperdine's then-No. 27 Lorraine Guillermo, 6-2, 6-4. Jullien stands 15-2 in duals this season.
The Gaels honor their three seniors, Jenny Jullien, Jade Frampton, and Audrey Leitz, on Friday against the Broncos for Senior Day. In addition, a win on Friday will lock up the No. 3 seed for Saint Mary's at this year's WCC Championships.
Pacific Tigers
Most recently, The Pacific women's tennis team dropped a 5-2 road contest at Loyola Marymount on Saturday, April 12. The Tigers dropped to 8-12 overall, 1-6 in West Coast Conference play.
The Tigers are the newest addition to the WCC as of this year and have only converted one out of seven conference matches in their favor against Portland, winning 4-2.
Pacific is next in action with a home match against San Francisco on Friday, April 18 before hosting the Broncos on Saturday.
Last Year Against the Gaels
The Santa Clara women's tennis team upset No. 40 Saint Mary's by a score of 4-3 on Senior Day for the Broncos.
In the doubles competition, the No. 1 duo Katie Le and Jessica Agra fell 8-4 to Jenny Jullien and Danielle Flores. Senior duo Kelly Lamble and Maggie McGeorge also fell to Catherine Isip and Audrey Leitz by a score of 8-6. The third doubles match went unfinished as the Gaels captured the point.
In singles, first off the courts was sophomore Stephanie Skaras after she defeated Elizabeth Searl in two straight sets, 6-0, 6-1. Next, freshman Delphine Rouvillois overtook her opponent Catherine Leduc, 7-6(4), 6-0, at the No. 5 position for the Broncos.
With two more singles matches needed to take the match, senior Alex Zaniewski went out on a high note and won her match at the No. 3 spot by a score of 7-5, 6-4 over Danielle Flores of the Gaels.
With Zaniewski's victory, it was up to No. 28 Le to decide the day's overall match. Up against No. 17 Jenny Jullien, Le had lost to Jullien, 7-5, 6-3, in the Cal Winter Invite on Jan. 18. Sunday, the Milpitas, Calif. native was able to get ahead and take the first set, 7-5. Jullien fired back in the second set and led Le at one point 3-1. Le battled back in the second to make it 6-6. The singles match and the overall team match was decided in a tiebreaker, ending in Le's favor 7-4.
Game Notes – April 18, 2014
Santa Clara vs. Saint Mary's College @ 12:00 p.m. in Moraga, Calif. (Korth Tennis Complex)
Game Notes – April 19, 2014
Santa Clara vs. University of Pacific @ 11:00 a.m. in Stockton, Calif. (Hal Nelson Tennis Courts)
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GO BRONCOS!
