SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The fall season is right around the corner for Santa Clara women's tennis. Action begins on Sept. 22 for the team that returns six of eight student-athletes from a strong 2015-16 campaign. 

Fall tennis is an important time for the women's tennis team. It provides the student-athletes a chance to compete in individual tournaments and gain experience before the team competitions in the spring.

"We aren't allowed to compete in any team competitions," head coach Ben Cabell said. "We're going to travel and workout as a team but all of the tournaments are individual-based and count towards their individual records."

The fall slate begins next week and wraps up on Nov. 6, giving the student-athletes six chances to compete in meets throughout California. The 2017 portion of the season begins on Jan. 28.

"It's a really important time of year because it gives us a chance to see where everybody is at," Cabell said. "We use the fall to get everybody ready for the dual season. We also use it to get an idea of what our lineup is going to be like and to prepare our doubles teams."

Cabell welcomes back six players from the 2015-16 squad that went 13-10 overall and 5-4 in league play. The team finished fourth in the West Coast Conference standings and reached the semifinals of the league tournament.

"We have some strong returning players and we're excited to see what they can do again," Cabell said. "Daniella Silva had a fantastic year last year, moving all the way up to court No. 1. Madison Clarke had a very good freshman year last year as well; she's definitely going to make an impact for us. Nabila Farah and Zeina El Tawil had very successful years last year as well. The four of them will be the anchors of the team this year."

Since individual tournaments take place in the fall, the coaching staff and the aforementioned top players on the team have a common goal of striving to climb the rankings.

"We also work with our top players because this is a chance for them to make a move into their national rankings for either singles or doubles," Cabell said. "So, our top players will certainly have that as a goal."

On the other hand, for the incoming freshmen, the fall is a chance to simply gain experience and adapt to the college level of play.

"We have two freshmen coming in and we're going to need them to play and make an impact," Cabell said. "I think that's going to be a learning experience for them but their job is to get ready and get used to it as quick as they can."

The Broncos will compete at home in the fall when they host the Bronco Invitational at Degheri Tennis Center on Nov. 4-6.

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