Women's Tennis Edged by No. 46 Saint Mary's, 5-2; Faces Pacific Sat., Apr. 19

Posted: Apr 18, 2014

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Playing on the road for the final time this regular season, the Santa Clara women's tennis team fell to No. 46 Saint Mary's in a 5-2 decision. The Broncos wrap up the regular season with their final dual match against Pacific in Stockton, Calif. on Sat., April 19 at 11 a.m. before heading into the West Coast Conference Championships.

Santa Clara boasts a 9-9 overall dual record after its West Coast Conference loss to the Gaels. The Broncos are 5-2 at home, 2-6 on the road and 2-1 on neutral surfaces. The team is 4-4 in the WCC this spring season with wins over San Francisco, Loyola Marymount, Portland and Gonzaga.

"I am proud of the really strong effort the girls showed this afternoon," commented Bronco head coach Ben Cabell after the match. "Saint Mary's is a good team for a reason. We put up a good fight and just came up a little bit short. We learned a few important things today that will help us get better going into conference tournament next week."

The Broncos faced a challenging competitor in Saint Mary's (12-7, 6-2 WCC), as the No. 46 team got on the board early by capturing the doubles point. The new Bronco partnership of Elaine Chesoni and Nicolette Wolny fell to the Gael's Jamie Pawid and Catherine Leduc on court three, 8-0. At the No. 2 spot, Stephanie Skaras and Delphine Rouvillois could not convert against Danielle Flores and Jade Frampton, falling 8-3. Bronco duo Chelby Cooke and Katie Le went unfinished at the No. 1 position as Santa Clara was up 7-4 over Jenny Jullien and Parminder Kaur of Saint Mary's.

On the singles side, Saint Mary's carried its energy from doubles into singles taking courts 1, 4, 5 and 6 to close out the day in their favor.

Santa Clara's first point came from Cooke, playing at the No. 3 singles spot. The sophomore breezed through the first set, blanking Jamie Pawid 6-0. In the second set, the Gael put up a valiant effort, but the Bronco from Bakersfield, Calif. held on and closed out the match, 7-6.

The Broncos' second point came from Delphine Rouvillois, who is playing at the No. 2 position since the halfway mark of the spring season. The sophomore showed great strength against Saint Mary's Danielle Flores after dropping the first set 6-3. Flores battled in the second, but Rouvillois gained momentum and pushed the match to a decisive third-set. Rouvillois' stamina proved too much for her opponent and the Bronco closed out the match, 6-3, in the third. The Grenoble, France native posts an 10-6 dual singles record.

In her toughest competition yet this WCC season, No. 27 Le was last off of the courts after going up against No. 12 Jullien. The Gael took the first set from Le, 7-5, on her senior day and last final match on her home courts. The Bronco senior was able to take the second set from Jullien by a score of 6-4 but could not carry her momentum into the third set, falling 6-2. This is the first time Le has been edged out by an opponent since Feb. 14. The pairs overall showdown record now stands at 2-1 in Jullien's favor.

Women's tennis closes out the regular season on Sat., April 19 at 11:00 a.m. at the University of Pacific. The Broncos will then travel down to San Diego, Calif. for the WCC Championships on Wed., April 23.

#46 Saint Mary's 5, Santa Clara 2

April 18 | Korth Tennis Complex | Moraga, Calif.

Doubles | Order of Finish: 3, 2

1) Chelby Cooke/Katie Le (SCU) vs. Jenny Jullien/Parminder Kaur (SMC) 7-4, Unfinished

2) Danielle Flores/Jade Frampton (SMC) def. Stephanie Skaras/Delphine Rouvillois (SCU) 8-3

3) Jamie Pawid/Catherine Leduc (SMC) def. Nicolette Wolny/Elaine Chesoni (SCU) 8-0

Singles | Order of Finish: 6, 4, 3, 5, 1, 2

1) #12 Jenny Jullien (SMC) def. #27 Katie Le (SCU) 7-5, 4-6, 6-2

2) Delphine Rouvillois (SCU) def. Danielle Flores (SMC) 3-6, 7-5, 6-3

3) Chelby Cooke (SCU) def. Jamie Pawid (SMC) 6-0, 7-6

4) Catherine Leduc (SMC) def. Daniella Silva (SCU) 6-1, 6-1

5) Jade Frampton (SMC) def. Stephanie Skaras (SCU) 6-1, 2-6, 6-3