Gonzaga University
Loyola Marymount
Zags Down LMU, Set up Showdown with Pepperdine
4/21/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
LOS ANGELES, Calif.-The Gonzaga women's tennis team held on for a big victory Friday afternoon, downing Loyola Marymount 4-3 at the LMU Tennis Center in Los Angeles.
By finishing off Loyola Marymount, Gonzaga (16-2, 7-1 WCC) will play for a share of its first West Coast Conference regular season title. They'll take on No. 13 Pepperdine (18-4, 8-0 WCC) on Saturday, April 22. Pepperdine clinched at least a share of the WCC title with a win over Portland this afternoon.
"I was very impressed with our response after doubles," said Gonzaga head coach DJ Gurule. "I think we settled down and trusted our game plan. We might not have played our best tennis today, but more importantly, we fought and competed for every point."
Freshman Haruna Tsuruta clinched the dual win against LMU with another memorable three-setter. She dropped her first set against Anna Romeka 4-6, but the Fukuoka, Japan, native countered with a 6-4 win of her own in the second to force the deciding frame. In the third, she won the first five games and closed it out for a 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 match win and a 4-3 dual victory.
The Lions opened the dual with the doubles point, getting the clincher in a tiebreak on court three. Once singles play started, however, the Bulldogs jumped ahead 3-1 in the dual with wins in the first three singles matches to finish. On court six, Domonique Garley remained unbeaten on the spring with a 6-1, 6-4 win over Julia Norlin. The win evened the dual at one point apiece. Garley is now 13-0 in dual play and remains the conference's sole unbeaten player during the spring season.
On court three, Graciela Rosas added to the Zags' tally with a 6-2, 6-1 win against Siobhan Anderson, her biggest win in conference play. Rosas leads the team with 14 wins in dual play, and she's one of three Zags with 20 or more victories across the spring dual and fall tournament seasons.
Atop the singles ladder, Nevada Apollo put the Zags on the brink with her fifth consecutive win. The sophomore from Las Vegas, Nevada, pulled out a 6-4, 6-2 victory against LMU's Jessica Perez to remain unbeaten in conference play.
Loyola Marymount then rallied to tie the match with a pair of three-set victories on courts two and five, but Tsuruta quashed the rally with her own three-set win at No. 4 singles.
With the win, the Zags can finish no lower than second place in the WCC regular season standings and have clinched a bye directly into the semifinals of next weekend's WCC Championships.
"Credit LMU for playing us tough," said Gurule. "Today's win was a definite gut-check. We are looking forward to playing Pepperdine tomorrow. That is an incredible program that has had a fantastic year. We have our work cut out for us, but we'll be ready!"
That match against Pepperdine will take place at Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center in Malibu, Calif. First serve is slated for 12:00 p.m.
Gonzaga 4, Loyola Marymount 3
Apr 21, 2017 at Los Angeles, Calif.
LMU Tennis Center
Singles:
1. Apollo, Nevada (GON) def. Jessica Perez (LMU) 6-4, 6-2
2. Elvira Juravliova (LMU) def. Whittle, Sophie (GON) 2-6, 6-4, 6-4
3. Rosas, Graciela (GON) def. Siobhan Anderson (LMU) 6-2, 6-1
4. Tsuruta, Haruna (GON) def. Anna Romeka (LMU) 4-6, 6-4, 6-2
5. Camila Tumosa (LMU) def. Ketels, Kate (GON) 6-2, 4-6, 6-3
6. Garley, Domonique (GON) def. Julia Norlin (LMU) 6-1, 6-4
Doubles:
1. Jessica Perez/Elvira Juravliova (LMU) def. APOLLO, Nevada/GARLEY, Domonique (GON) 6-3
2. WHITTLE, Sophie/ROSAS, Graciela (GON) def. Anna Romeka/Siobhan Anderson (LMU) 6-0
3. Julia Norlin/Camila Tumosa (LMU) def. BOURGUIGNON, Alex/KETELS, Kate (GON) 7-6 (7-0)
Match Notes:
Gonzaga 16-2, 7-1 WCC
Loyola Marymount 12-8, 4-4 WCC
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (6,3,1,2,5,4)
T-3:24
Players Mentioned
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
2,1,3
#1 Singles Match
#2 Singles Match
#3 Singles Match
#4 Singles Match
#5 Singles Match
#6 Singles Match
Order of Finish:
6,3,1,2,5,4
