Posted: Sep 25, 2019
UPDATED on Sept. 27, 2019: The live streams are only available at Hellman Tennis Complex's six courts (Cal's home facility), with each screen showing the score from that court, but no live stream and no live scores for the matches at Channing Tennis Courts, located off campus. Click here for live stream link.
SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Santa Clara women's tennis opens the 2019-20 season on Friday at the Cal Invitational, the first of six tournaments on the fall docket.
The Cal Invitational runs three days starting this Friday with players from 14 schools competing for singles and doubles titles on the courts at Hellman Tennis Complex and Channing Tennis Courts in Berkeley, California.
The Broncos will field a veteran squad led by a trio of seniors – Madison Clarke, Caitlyn Frankel and Maddie Pothoff.
"I'm excited as all of our returners from last season are coming back plus the addition of Madison will be huge," said Broncos head coach Ben Cabell referring to the redshirt senior who is returning from an injury.
The return of Clarke, a two-time All-West Coast Conference selection in both singles and doubles, will help solidify the top of the lineup along with Pothoff and junior Elvena Gevargiz who enter the season ranked.
Pothoff and Gevargiz are 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.
"It's great that both of them have gotten the recognition as they deserve the rankings," said Cabell. "Elvena has put a lot of work in to become a better doubles player and Maddie's had a lot of success in doubles over her career. And Maddie's also put a lot of work in her singles to get herself there."
Along with Gevargiz, juniors Nadine Del Carmen and Katya Tabachnik comprise the remainder of the upperclassmen.
Del Carmen has been in the lineup her first two seasons and Tabachnik tied for the team-lead in WCC doubles wins with four along with Frankel.
Sophomores Lindsey Pesqueira and Jamie Schroer also return. Schroer posted a 15-13 overall singles record in her first year with the program last season primarily playing at the No. 3 spot while Pesqueira will look to crack the lineup.
"I'm very excited with the improvements of everyone and it's going to be nice to have a very experienced team. We have a lot of years of college tennis on the court with six upper classmen plus two sophomores," said Cabell.
Freshman Lindsay Lynch is the lone newcomer adding depth to the team.
Other fall tournaments include the Saint Mary's Invitational (Oct. 4-6) in nearby Moraga followed by the All-American tournament (Oct. 7-8) in Tulsa, Oklahoma where Pothoff and Gevargiz will play. The annual ITA Regionals are in Stanford from Oct. 18-21. The November schedule includes the San Diego tournament (Nov. 1-3), capped off by the San Jose State Hidden Dual from Nov. 8-10 to conclude the fall schedule.
