SPOKANE, Wash.—After five matches and nearly three weeks away from The Stevens Center, the Gonzaga University women's tennis team will play its first home matches of the West Coast Conference slate this weekend, hosting Pacific and Saint Mary's on Friday and Saturday.
"It is definitely nice to be home again and playing on our courts and in front of our fans," said Gonzaga head coach D.J. Gurule. "We really enjoyed our time on the road, though. It is always a great bonding experience with the team and we got a lot of time practicing and competing outside."
The Bulldogs soaked up a lot of sun during their five-match road trip, spending the entirety of the time in southern California. During GU's spring break two weeks ago, they played two matches in Orange County and one at UC Santa Barbara while the first WCC trip of the season took them back to the Los Angeles area to play Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine. Gonzaga went 3-2 on the trip with a win over #55 UC Irvine for their first victory over a ranked opponent of the year. That combined with a win over Youngstown State propelled the Zags into their first national ranking of the year.
The Zags began WCC play ranked #75, only their second national ranking in program history. They picked up their first win as a nationally ranked team on March 21 with a 5-2 win at LMU, but ran into a tough Pepperdine team in Malibu, Calif., falling 7-0 to the #16 Waves.
"We saw a lot of good things during our last few matches," said Gurule of his team's play during the five-match road swing, "but we also found a lot of things we need to do better. The biggest takeaway from the road is that we need to play our type of tennis persistently. We are capable of competing with anyone in or out of our conference, but we need to stick to our game plan and trust the work and preparation we do day in and day out."
If last week was any indication, the Zags will have another two tough matches on their hands. Both Pacific and Saint Mary's have winning records, and the Gaels are ranked #33 in the nation by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. The two schools played each other last weekend with Saint Mary's taking a 6-1 decision in Moraga, Calif.
"So far this year, seven of the 10 WCC teams have been ranked, so every match from here on out will be a tough challenge. We know that both Saint Mary's and Pacific are talented, but we are really focused on our preparation and our game plans. We are confident that both teams we play this weekend will be ready to compete and fight for every point, and we need to do the same."
Three Zags enter the weekend with just two losses in singles play on the dual season. Freshman Alex Bourguignon leads the team with an 11-2 record in dual matches, all at No. 4 singles. Franziska Koehler has been solid as well, going 9-2 individually, while Kylie Peek is 8-2. A senior from Colorado Springs, Peek is also just one singles win away from the 50th in her career. In doubles play, Peek and Koehler lead the way with an 8-3 record.
The Zags will begin the home WCC slate against Pacific on Friday, March 27. The two teams will square off at 11:00 a.m. at The Stevens Center, which features free admission and seating above every court. GU's match against Saint Mary's will take place at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, March 28, again at The Stevens Center.
