SANTA CLARA, Calif. – With a healthy roster and a national ranking, the Santa Clara women's tennis team continues its push toward the postseason this weekend by facing its fourth top-40 foe of the year.
The No. 72 Broncos (6-4), winners of four of their last five matches, play host to the No. 34 Denver Pioneers (12-3) at 11 a.m. Saturday in Degheri Tennis Center.
Santa Clara downed George Washington, 6-1, at home Saturday, winning five singles matches in straight sets.
Senior Chelby Cooke posted a convincing 6-3, 6-4 victory over George Washington's Teodora Radosavljevic. Cooke's win extended the Broncos' lead to 3-1 and they clinched the match when Daniella Silva knocked off Marie-Louise Decamps 6-3, 6-2.
Silva has a team-high seven singles dual victories, while Cooke and freshman Madison Clarke have flourished in doubles, posting a 10-2 record, including 8-1 in dual matches.
Nabila Farah has a team-high 11 singles victories, including four straight, for the Broncos, who knocked off No. 39 South Alabama, 4-2, on Feb. 28. That was
Delphine Rouvillois has been eased back into the lineup after missing time due to injury and has won both of her completed singles matches.
"We're healthy and we have a team on the court that we designed," head coach Ben Cabell said. "We're seeing some success now because we're able to see the team we recruited. We also have some depth. We're good at every single spot."
Denver is on a two-match California road trip. The Pioneers downed No. 73 San Jose State, 4-3, Thursday and have won five in a row, including a 4-3 road triumph over 23rd-ranked Kansas on March 6.
"Denver is a very good team so we go in having a lot of respect," Cabell said. "But this is what we want and what we've practiced for. We want tough opponents coming here to give us a chance to play against the top teams in the country. They're looking forward to the challenge, like that about our team."
The Pioneers are 7-2 on the road this year, including 3-2 vs. top 75 opponents.
Julia O'Loughlin is No. 74 in the most recent Intercollegiate Tennis Association singles ranking and is 11-2 on the season. Bianca Mok is 12-1 in dual singles.
Parking & Admission: Admission is free to Degheri Tennis Center. Parking should be available in the Leavey Center lot, which is adjacent to the tennis center, though there are other events on campus. Click here for a campus map and parking information.
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