IRVINE, Calif.—Fresh off signing an NLI the Gonzaga University women's tennis team, Nevada Apollo recently wrapped up a highly successful November USTA National Selection Tournament, taking third place in the event held Nov. 28 to Dec. 1 in Irvine, Calif.
Unranked entering the tournament, Apollo pulled off numerous big wins en route to the medal stand. In the first round, she beat a five start recruit and 57th-ranked player of her age group. Next, Apollo swept past fifth seed and current Michigan freshman Mira H. Ruder-Hook 6-1, 6-2 to reach the round of 16, where she also beat another five-star recruit 7-5, 6-4, this one ranked #27 among her age group.
In the quarterfinals, Apollo faced another five-star recruit, dispatching the tournament's fourth-seeded player by the same 7-5, 6-4 tally. The soon-to-be Zag then rebounded from a semifinal loss to the eventual tournament winner to pick up yet another victory over a seeded player in the third place match. After dropping the first set to the bracket's second seed, Apollo evened the match with a 6-1 win in the second set and prevailed in the third set 7-5, clinching a medal from the tournament.
In doubles play, Apollo and her partner earned a No. 7 seed in the bracket, picking up a pair of doubles victories before falling to a higher-seeded team in the quarterfinals.
Apollo, along with Gonzaga's other two recent signees, Graciela Rosas and Sophie Whittle, will join the Zags for the 2015-16 tennis season.
