Feb. 21, 2016 Box Score
SPOKANE, Wash.-With a fast start out of the gates in singles play, Gonzaga University's women's tennis team rallied back from a 0-1 deficit to take down Idaho 4-3 Sunday afternoon at The Stevens Center. The win is Gonzaga's fifth consecutive victory.
GU came from behind to beat Idaho for the second year in a row, getting all four points entirely from individual competition. Graciela Rosas evened the match at one point apiece with a dominant two-set win at No. 5 singles, her fifth in a row and sixth of the dual season. She took down Idaho's Belin Barcenilla 6-2, 6-0, matching her biggest win of the dual year. A couple minutes later, Nevada Apollo gave the Zags a lead they wouldn't relinquish with another strong two-setter at No. 3 singles. Apollo took down Rita Bermudez 6-1, 6-2 for her fifth win consecutive win as well.
At No. 6 singles, Domonique Garley also picked up her fifth win in a row, dispatching Lucia Badillos in straight sets. Unlike her previous four wins, Garley was tested a bit by Badillos, who won seven total games during the match, including five in the second set alone. Garley had only ceded eight total games during her previous four matches. The win was also a bit of revenge as Badillos beat Garley 6-3, 6-3 during the Red Singles final of the Gonzaga Invitational Nov. 8.
Sophomore Alex Bourguignon clinched the win for the Bulldogs by taking down Maria Tavares in consecutive 6-4 sets. The victory too was her fifth in a row and sixth of the dual year, tying her with Rosas for the team dual lead. Including tournament play, Bourguignon has 13 singles wins on the year.
Idaho picked up a couple consolation points at the top two singles positions, where both Sophie Whittle and Samantha Polayes fell in third set super tiebreaks.
Both squads fought hard for the doubles point to begin the match, but Idaho came out ahead in pairs play with wins on the final two courts. At No. 1 doubles, Polayes and Whittle remained unbeaten in dual play, doubling up on Idaho's Barcenilla and Ana Batiri 6-3. The win was the Bulldog duo's 18th of the season, and they haven't suffered a defeat since the ITA Northwest Regionals in late October.
The next two matches were a bit closer, and the Vandals prevailed in both. On court No. 3, Badillos and Mariana Petrei edged Garley and Sissi Koehler by a break at 6-4, ending the GU duo's four-match win streak. Idaho clinched the doubles point on court No. 2, where Bourguignon and Melanie Yates rallied from a 2-4 deficit to even the match at 5-5. Their opponents, Rita Bermudez and Maria Tavares took the next two games, however, and won 7-5.
"Idaho is a very talented and well-coached team, and they added a player [Petrei] in the spring who makes them tough to beat and really tough to play," said Gonzaga women's tennis head coach D.J. Gurule. "After dropping the doubles point, we talked to the team and told them to compete. We didn't want them to win or think that they had to win; we just wanted to compete. If we play our games to our style, more often than not we'll come out on top. Our fast start in singles really helped us, too. Nos. 4, 5, and 6 throwing up sets early helped. That fuels the fire in everyone."
With the win, Gonzaga (6-1) wraps up a five-game homestand with a perfect 5-0 record. They'll take two and a half weeks off from competition before heading to Palm Springs, Calif., during spring break. They'll resume the dual season on Monday, March 7, with a match against Boston University.
