Jan. 29, 2006
Portland, Ore. - On the final day of a long and grueling road trip where the women's tennis team played three matches in three days, Santa Clara came out victorious against fellow West Coast Conference rival Portland this morning with a 4-1 triumph up in Portland, Ore. The day started off on a good note with the Broncos taking the doubles point and they used that momentum to carry them through in singles.
"We knew it was going to be a tough match today, given that it was so early in the morning after having such a late match last night," noted head coach Damon Coupe. "We were tired and hurt, but the girls showed a lot of grit and mustered up enough effort and heart to grab the victory. Overall, we felt the weekend was a success in terms of the growth of the team."
In doubles action, Santa Clara bolted to an early 1-0 lead thanks to a pair of victories at the No. 1 and No. 2 positions. Erika Barnes and Casey Knutson easily beat Lindsey Griffin and Laura Leoni 8-1 on Court 2, while Samantha Georgino and Kelly Leathers triumphed over Katie Kennel and Jenna Tanzer to secure the important doubles point. The tandem of Myra Davoudi and Stephanie Galainena dropped their match to Cristin Sammis and Jaclyn Soltysik 8-5 at the No. 3 spot to prevent the Bronco sweep.
Kelly Leathers gave her team a 2-0 overall lead after she dismissed Jenna Tanzer 6-3, 6-3 at the No. 1 position, though Cristin Sammis gave her team hope after she defeated Kimberly Daniel 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 at the No. 3 spot. However, the match was clinched after Stephanie Galainena and Casey Knutson won their respective matches, with Knutson being the Bronco to give her team the winning fourth point of the contest. The remaining matches on Courts 5 and 6, featuring Myra Davoudi and Erika Barnes, were not completed.
Santa Clara improves its record to 1-3 on the year and returns to action on Friday, February 3 with a home match against Nevada. The contest will take place at the Degheri Tennis Center and game time is set for 2 p.m.
Santa Clara 4, Portland 1
Doubles (Santa Clara wins the doubles point)
1. Samantha Georgino/Kelly Leathers (SCU) def. Katie Kennel/Jenna Tanzer (POR), 8-4
2. Erika Barnes/Casey Knutson (SCU) def. Lindsey Griffin/Laura Leoni (POR), 8-1
3. Cristin Sammis/Jaclyn Soltysik (POR) def. Myra Davoudi/Stephanie Galainena (SCU), 8-5
Singles
1. Kelly Leathers (SCU) def. Jenna Tanzer (POR), 6-3, 6-3
2. Stephanie Galainena (SCU) def. Jacklyn Soltysik (POR), 6-1, 6-7, 7-6
3. Cristin Sammis (POR) def. Kimberly Daniel (SCU), 6-3, 2-6, 6-4
4. Casey Knutson (SCU) def. Lindsey Griffin (POR), 6-3, 6-4
5. Katie Kennel (POR) vs. Myra Davoudi (SCU), 7-5, DNF
6. Erika Barnes (SCU) vs. Anna Gullickson (POR), 3-2, DNF
