Match Play, Manito Beckon for Women's Golf
9/30/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
Sept. 30, 2016
Live Results | Tournament Central | Gonzaga Notes
Gonzaga Match Play
October 1-3, 2016 | Manito Golf & Country Club | Spokane, Wash.
| Date | Opponent | Tee Times |
| Saturday, Oct. 1 | vs. Idaho | 8:22-8:37 a.m. |
| Sunday, Oct. 2 | vs. Portland State | 8:22-8:37 a.m. |
| Monday, Oct. 3 | vs. BYU | 8:52-9:07 a.m. |
LAST TIME OUT:
- Gonzaga returned to the Juli Inkster Spartan Invitational after over four years away from the tournament...the Zags tied for sixth with a tally of 908 (+44)...they tied with WCC foe Santa Clara while beating San Francisco.
- Senior Ciera Min turned in her second consecutive Top 5 finish, ending the tournament in a two-way tie for fourth...this is the second time in her career with back-to-back Top 5 finishes, with the first coming during the fall season of her freshman year...freshman Jessica Mangrobang shot the best round of her young career at 75 (+3) during the final round and climbed into a tie for 24th...sophomore Bianca Pagdanganan also tied for 24th.
ON MATCH PLAY:
- The Gonzaga Match Play will give the Bulldogs three days and three rounds of match play...it'll be the Zags' first match play tournament according to available records.
- While Gonzaga hasn't played in match play as a team, most of the Bulldogs have seen match play in non-interscholastic tournaments...senior Ciera Min has reached the match play portion of three Women's Amateur Public Links tournaments...sophomore Jena Gao helped Team China win the 2013 China-USA Youth Golf Match...freshmen Nina Novilla and Jessica Mangrobang have played in the USGA Junior Girls' Championship, Novilla in 2014 and Mangrobang in 2015...fellow freshman Diana Araneta, meanwhile, reached the finals of the 2015 Junior Golf Foundation of the Philippines Chairman's Cup and 2016 Philippine Amateur Open Match Play Championship.
ON THE DOWN SIDE, NO FREQUENT FLIER MILES...:
- For the first time in a few years, the Zags won't have to travel to compete this weekend...this is Gonzaga's first home tournament in over four seasons...they last hosted the Gonzaga Spring Individual, a one-round individuals-only tournament, at Liberty Lake Golf Course in Liberty Lake, Washington...their last multi-day tournament took place Sept. 12-13, 2011, at Circling Raven Golf Course in Worley, Idaho.
- This is Gonzaga's first hosted tournament at Manito Golf & Country Club, their main practice course...the Zags have also hosted competitions at Indian Canyon, Downriver, and Hangman Valley Golf Courses in Spokane and The Highlands Golf Course and Links Golf Club in Post Falls, Idaho, over the last 17 years.
TOURNAMENT FORMAT:
- The Gonzaga Match Play will feature six teams (Gonzaga, BYU, Eastern Washington, Idaho, Portland State, Seattle U), and each team will play three dual matches over the weekend...a dual match consists of six individual match play contests pitting each team's No. 1, No. 2, etc., players against each other...an individual match victory will give the team one whole point, and a match that ends in a tie earns half a point for each squad...whichever team has the most points when all six singles matches are finished is the winner...there is no tiebreaker if the teams tie at three.
FIELD NOTES:
- Gonzaga returns three players from a squad that took second place in the 2016 WCC Championships...senior Ciera Min is the reigning WCC individual champion after shooting 6-under 66, the lowest single round in school history, during the final day...sophomore and reigning WCC co-Freshman of the Year Bianca Pagdanganan became the first Bulldog to reach the NCAA Championships...she tied for eighth at the NCAA's Bryan Regional for the berth.
- BYU is the defending WCC champion, finishing three strokes ahead of the Zags at Blackhawk Country Club in Danville, California...as a team, they made the NCAA Championships by qualifying through the Baton Rouge Regional...WCC co-Freshman of the Year (with Pagdanganan) Rose Huang returns after winning two tournaments last season, as does current junior and Juli Inkster Spartan Invitational medalist Kendra Dalton.
- Eastern Washington looks to continue to build upon last year's fifth place finish in the Big Sky Championship with five returning players...as a team, they saw their second-best combined scoring average in program history as well as a best-ever score in the Big Sky Championship.
- Idaho welcomes five freshmen to the team after finishing 15th at the NCAA's Stanford Regional last year...first team all-Big Sky and reigning Big Sky individual champion Sophie Hausmann returns to the Vandals after winning the German International Ladies Amateur Golf Championship over the summer, as do Honorable Mention All-Big Sky junior Kendall Grey and Big Sky Freshman of the Year Michelle Kim.
- Portland State returns three players, notably headlined by first team All-Big Sky Conference team member Krissy Peterson...she placed fifth at the Big Sky Championship...sophomore Tara Finigan looks to build off last year when she took home two top-10 finishes.
- Seattle U returns six of eight members from last year's second place Western Athletic Conference championships team...seniors Dorsey Addicks and Ellen Brantberg both brought home Top 10 finishes for the Redhawks in the conference championships tournament...Addicks took second place individually, capping off a First Team All-Conference season...returners Jamie Huo, Alexus Song and Yen Ting Wong all finished individually in the WAC's Top 25 as well.
ZAGS ON THE COURSE THIS WEEK
| Pos. | Name | Yr. | Avg. | Notable |
| 1. | Ciera Min | Sr. | 71.50 | Top Five finishes in both tournaments on the year. |
| 2. | Bianca Pagdanganan | So. | 73.31 | Finished among Top 25 at Juli Inkster Spartan Invitational. |
| 3. | Jena Gao | So. | 77.67 | Helped Team China win 2013 China-USA Youth Golf Match. |
| 4. | Jessica Mangrobang | Fr. | 77.67 | Shot 2-over 74 to end Juli Inkster Spartan Invite in tie for 24th. |
| 5. | Nina Novilla | Fr. | 78.50 | Reached match play round of 2014 USGA Junior Girls' Champ. |
| 6. | Diana Araneta | Fr. | --- | Making collegiate debut at Gonzaga Match Play. |
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
Tuesday, June 30
Monday, June 29
Monday, June 29
Friday, June 26
