MORAGA, Calif. - The Bulldogs of the Gonzaga University women's tennis team polished off a solid last of the Saint Mary's Invitational Saturday with a number of doubles and singles victories.
"Overall, this weekend was our best effort of the fall season," head coach D.J. Gurule said. "We are steadily improving and we are optimistic about the future. The team has been working hard and we are seeing it pay off."
Franziska Koehler had a strong day in singles. She prevailed over Paula Kreider (Cal Poly) 6-0, 6-3 to advance to the finals of the blue consolation. After defeating a Cal Poly opponent, she would fall to another. Chanel Scudiero took the finals with a 7-6 (3), 6-0.
Isabell Klingert and Katie Edwards began the final day of play with a chance to win the blue doubles draw. They faced Angela Chen and Brianna Kemp (University of Washington) and put forth a strong effort. Unfortunately, the Bulldog pair would narrowly fall, 8-6.
Klingert, who advanced to the semifinals in the blue draw Saturday, saw her bid to the finals end. She was victim to a 7-6 (5), 1-6, 6-2 defeat to Angela Chen (Washington).
For player previously eliminated from the draws, Sunday provided an opportunity for more play with round robin matches. The Bulldogs had a strong day in the round robin with victories in four out of five matches.
Kylie Peek defeated Alina Soltanici (Sacramento State University) 6-2, 6-3; Samantha Polayes downed Kathryn Webb 6-0, 6-1; and Edwards topped Mika Padmanaban (Cal Poly) 7-6 (4), 6-3. The lone defeat came from Sophil Lohscheidt (Sacramento State) 6-2, 6-3 over Melanie Yates.
In round robin doubles, Peek and Polayes ousted Brooke Irish and Sofia Holmberg (University of San Francisco) 8-2.
"This tournament is always a tough test," Gurule said. "We are fortunate to play a lot of high quality matches. We are excited to get ready for regionals next week at Stanford."
Gonzaga concludes its fall season next weekend. The Bulldogs travel to Palo Alto, Calif., for the ITA Regionals hosted by Stanford University.
