IRVINE, Calif.—Playing their penultimate non-conference match of the season, the Gonzaga University women's tennis squad picked up its biggest win of the year with a strong 5-2 victory over #55 UC Irvine Thursday at the UC Irvine Tennis Stadium in Irvine, Calif.

"Today was a great team win," said Gonzaga head coach D.J. Gurule. "From top to bottom, we did an excellent job of competing."

With a win over the #55 Anteaters, the Zags picked up their first win over ranked competition of the season. They beat a ranked team once last season, scoring a 4-3 stunner over #65 San Diego Feb. 16, 2014 at home in The Stevens Center. Thursday also marked the first time Gonzaga had faced a ranked opponent in 2015.

For the third match in a row, the Zags started the contest by winning the doubles point. UC Irvine picked up the first pairs match to finish, No. 1 doubles, but Melanie Yates and Alex Bourguignon drew GU even with a 6-2 win on court two. The pair picked up their fifth win of the year and claimed the highest doubles winning percentage on the team with a 5-1 record.

Gonzaga clinched the doubles point on court three when Kylie Peek and Franziska Koehler outlasted UC Irvine's Andrea Duva and Mazy Watrous in a tiebreak. The Zag duo prevailed 7-3 in the extra tennis to give the Zags the doubles point and a leg up in the team competition.

"The doubles point really set the tone for our singles matches today," said Gurule. "We definitely entered singles play with momentum."

The visiting Zags clinched the match in the first three singles contests to finish. Katie Edwards got GU going with an impressive 6-3, 6-2 win over Sarah Gong at No. 1 singles. With the win, the senior advanced to 7-2 in dual play.

At No. 6 singles, Koehler also played a strong match, winning 12 of 16 games over her UCI foe, Andrea Dova. Like Edwards, Koehler also has seven individual wins during the spring season.

Bourguignon clinched the match for the Zags at No. 4 singles, prevailing in a back-and-forth three set affair. The freshman beat opponent Ali Facey 6-2 in the first set, but Facey took the second 4-6 to force a deciding third set. In that third set, the Bulldog earned a couple of breaks and beat Facey 6-3, giving GU the win and claiming her team-leading ninth solo dual victory.

The Anteaters then picked up points at Nos. 4 and 5 singles, but Gonzaga topped off the win with another point from court two. There, Samantha Polayes prevailed in another three-setter, beating Arisha Ladhani 6-4, 5-7, 6-2. When counting fall tournaments, Polayes improved her record in three-set matches to 7-2.

"Edwards played a complete match today and got us going with our first singles point," said Gurule, "and I thought it was one of her best performances of her collegiate career. Sissi [Koehler] may be the unsung hero today; she played her game to perfection. Alex pulled out a clutch three-set match to clinch for us. She continues to impress us with her determination. Finally, Sam rounded out the day with a great win at No. 2, and Kylie and Mel were still batting hard in their third sets at the conclusion of the match."

Today's win also gave the Zags their ninth win of the season, surpassing their win total of 2014. Before last season, they had hit the mark every year since 2008. This year, however, marks the fastest they've hit nine wins dating back to 2000.

Gonzaga will look to round out its spring break trip to southern California with one last victory on Saturday, March 14, at 12:00 p.m. The Zags will wrap up the trip with a match at UC Santa Barbara in Santa Barbara, Calif.

Gonzaga 5, #55 UC Irvine 2
Mar 12, 2015 at Irvine, Calif. (UC Irvine Tennis Stadium)