Box Score

PROVO, Utah--The Gonzaga University women's tennis team returned to the win column Saturday, downing BYU 4-1 during a West Coast Conference matchup in Provo, Utah.

The Bulldogs began the match with the doubles point, winning the final two pairs matches to finish. BYU started off with a 6-3 win on court one, but the Zags countered on court two where Sophie Whittle and Graciela Rosas won 6-4. Those two are undefeated as a pair with five victories and one match left unfinished in 2017.

Gonzaga's freshman duo of Haruna Tsuruta and Kate Ketels then clinched the pairs point with a 6-3 win at No. 3 doubles. They lead all of GU's doubles pairs with a seven wins during dual play this season.

Once singles play started, Whittle added a full point by herself with a win on court one. Facing Savannah Ware-Avina, the sophomore won the first set 6-2 before sweeping the second 6-0. Whittle finished the weekend undefeated at 2-0, and she's 5-0 at the top spot of the lineup during dual play.

BYU countered with a two-set win on court three, but Tsuruta put the Zags on the brink on court four with a two-setter of her own. She won consecutive 6-4 sets over Samantha Smith for the sixth win of her freshman dual season.

Sophomore Domonique Garley then clinched the win in a tightly-contested two-setter at No. 6 singles. The Fort Worth, Texas, native posted a 7-5, 7-5 victory over Demi Perkinson and remains undefeated in dual play this season at 10-0.

"I think we did a great job rebounding from San Diego, especially in doubles," said Gonzaga head coach D.J. Gurule. "BYU is always a tough place to play, but we handled ourselves well. Sophie had an excellent weekend; she played great in both matches."

The Bulldogs (12-2, 3-1 WCC) will remain on the road for one more match, a Saturday, April 8 contest at Portland. That contest will begin at 10:00 a.m. at the Louisiana-Pacific Tennis Center in Portland, Ore.

Gonzaga 4, BYU 1

April 1, 2017 at BYU

BYU Tennis Courts

Singles:

1. Whittle, Sophie (GON) def. Savannah Ware-Avina (BYU) 6-2, 6-0

2. Natella Nabieva (BYU) vs. Rosas, Graciela (GON) 7-6 (9-7), 5-0, unfinished

3. Kate Cusick (BYU) def. Bourguignon, Alex (GON) 6-1, 6-2

4. Tsuruta, Haruna (GON) def. Samantha Smith (BYU) 6-4, 6-4

5. Taylah Beckman (BYU) vs. Ketels, Kate (GON) 6-2, 2-6, 4-1, unfinished

6. Garley, Domonique (GON) def. Demi Perkinson (BYU) 7-5, 7-5

Doubles:

1. Savannah Ware-Avina/Natella Nabieva (BYU) def. BOURGUIGNON, Alex/GARLEY, Domonique (GON) 6-3

2. WHITTLE, Sophie/ROSAS, Graciela (GON) def. Kate Cusick/Samantha Smith (BYU) 6-4

3. TSURUTA, Haruna/KETELS, Kate (GON) def. Taylah Beckman/Demi Perkinson (BYU) 6-3

Match Notes:

Gonzaga 12-2, 3-1 WCC

BYU 6-9, 1-3 WCC

Order of finish: Doubles (1,2,3); Singles (1,3,4,6)