Bulldogs Ready To Open WCC Championships Against Broncos
4/24/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
SPOKANE, Wash. - Coming off two tough losses in the Bay Area last weekend, the Gonzaga University women's tennis team will look to jump right out of the gate at the West Coast Conference Championships, presented by the Andre Agassi Foundation for Education, held at the Barnes Tennis Center in San Diego, Calif., this week.
The No. 8 seed Bulldogs, who finished the regular-season 9-11 overall and 1-7 in WCC play, will take No. 5 seed Santa Clara University in the first round Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. The winner of the match will meet the winner between No. 4 seed Loyola Marymount University and No. 9 seed University of Portland Thursday at 12:30 p.m.
Because all WCC teams competed in the first ever round robin schedule in conference history, the new tournament format will now consist of a single elimination. The conference used a double elimination format in the previous years since most teams did not meet during the regular-season.
"We're excited to play Santa Clara. We had a close match with them a couple of days ago and I think the team is ready to come back out and go at it," Bulldogs head coach D.J. Gurule said.
Although the Broncos won the last meeting 6-1 this past Saturday, Kylie Peek highlighted the match for the Zags by earning a 6-4, 6-1 win at No. 4 singles. The tandem of Kristina Zauere and Katie Edwards also picked up a win, posting an 8-6 victory at No. 1 doubles.
Five Bulldogs enter the tournament having won 10 or more singles matches throughout the 2011-12 season. Peek paces the Zags with 17 wins and the veteran Zauere is right behind the freshman with 16. Britta Stime is also having an impressive singles season. She has collected 12 victories while Sophie Lantta and Edwards have 11 and 10 wins, respectively.
The senior-freshman tandem of Zauere and Edwards currently lead the Bulldogs with 10 wins in doubles play. Lantta and Peek, the Bulldogs other veteran-rookie pairing, have compiled six wins while the experienced team of Prue Teitzel and Madeline Parker have posted five.
"We have had an up and down year, but for the most part we have had a successful year," Gurule said. "I think we are on the verge of having a great breakout match and hopefully it will be on Wednesday."
