Kylie Peek Clinches Conference Win For Women's Tennis
4/5/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
SPOKANE, Wash. - Gonzaga University women's tennis head coach D.J. Gurule was impressed with his squads resilient response Saturday after the Bulldogs trumped the visiting Loyola Marymount University Lions 5-2 in the Stevens Center.
Just a day earlier, the Zags (8-6, 3-2 WCC) fell 7-0 in a frustrating defeat to 29th-ranked Pepperdine University.
"Pepperdine was a really great team," Gurule said. "But just like every match, we learned from that experience. We know our energy is huge and it shows in how we play. We are probably one of the hardest teams to play because we are focused on the team over the individual. That mindset showed today."
Gonzaga's businesslike approach began in doubles where the Bulldogs took the point by winning the first two matches.
The No. 2 team of Melanie Yates and Isabell Klingert made quick work of Ellie Grossman and Lauri Mueller. Winning 8-2, the Gonzaga duo notched its third win together this spring.
Alexandra Tallas and Katie Edwards won their seventh doubles match of the year with a point clinching 8-5 victory over Kristine Kouyoumjian and Reka Rohonyi. The two have the most doubles win of any Gonzaga pair.
With the point in hand, the No. 1 match went unfinished. Gonzaga's pair of Kylie Peek and Samantha Polayes trailed Mijay Jin and Jessica Perez 7-4 when the contest was suspended.
The Bulldogs confident play carried over to singles where GU took four of six matches to clinch the group's third WCC victory.
No. 3 Polayes wrapped up the first singles point of the afternoon by prevailing 6-3, 6-1 over Jin.
Moments after Polayes won, Edwards was victorious at No. 2 where she downed Perez in straight sets 6-2, 7-5. The junior from Aloha, Ore., improves to 13-9 overall and 9-4 in the spring. She is an impressive 5-2 playing as the No. 2.
Clinching the match was No. 1 Peek who gave a tremendous effort in the second set. Trailing 5-1 against Kouyoumjian, Peek grinded her way back into the set and took it 7-6. Her 6-0, 7-6 winner is her 11th of the year.
"Kylie has had her struggles but she is playing a tough position in a tough conference," Gurule reflected. "This is really good for her to clinch the match today. She stuck with her game plan and was able to do what she wanted. I am very happy for her."
Yates rounded out the fifth Bulldog point of the day in a three-set battle with Mueller. Yates came out on top 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 for her 10th win of the spring season.
The two Lion points came at the No. 5 and No. 6 positions. Rohonyi downed Klingert in a competitive 6-4, 6-4 defeat and Tallas suffered a three-set loss to Grossman 6-4, 0-6, 6-2.
The Zags will look to climb the WCC standings next weekend with a pair of critical road duals. GU visits University of San Francisco next Saturday followed by a trip to Santa Clara University Sunday.
"We are just thinking about our next match and what we need to do to win," Gurule said. "The West Coast is really tough and any win is an accomplishment. We are going to go battle and compete for every point like we have all year."
Gonzaga is currently on pace for its highest WCC finish in program history.
