Posted: Sep 17, 2019
SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Santa Clara women's tennis players Maddie Pothoff and Elvena Gevargiz enter the 2019 season ranked as the No. 58 doubles team in the Oracle/ITA collegiate tennis Division I women's preseason national rankings. Pothoff is also ranked No. 76 in singles, after finishing last season at No. 118.
A two-time All-West Coast Conference selection in both singles and doubles, Pothoff is the first Bronco to be ranked in back-to-back preseasons since Katie Le opened the 2012-14 seasons ranked No. 86, 41 and 20, respectively.
Last season, the Tucson, Arizona native finished with a team-best dual match singles record of 11-5, all at the No. 1 spot. Pothoff climbed as high as No. 86 in the rankings and beat two nationally ranked players during the season, downing No. 67 Stephanie Schrage of Princeton and No. 22 Michaela Gordon of Stanford, en route to earning first-team all-conference honors.
Pothoff teamed up with Gevargiz, who is entering her junior season, to play at the No. 1 doubles spot all last season and finished with a 11-4 dual season record to garner all-conference honorable mention recognition.