SPOKANE, Wash.--Most students relish winter break. That month off full of down time, family and friends, and the Holidays; it's what a lot of students look forward to once school starts up in the fall.

Not the student-athletes on Gonzaga's women's tennis team, though. They couldn't wait for winter break to end.

"In my time at Gonzaga, I don't know if we've had this type of confidence or excitement for a season," said Gonzaga head coach D.J. Gurule. "There isn't a day that goes by where we don't talk about how excited we are for the season. It's a little daunting of a schedule, for sure, and it's something that we see as an unbelievable challenge, but what's amazing to me is that our team is so excited about it and to take their game to another level and to compete with some of the best in the country."

That excitement stems from the fact that every single player from last year's West Coast Conference Championship finalist squad returns for another shot at a conference title and NCAA Tournament berth. The Zags went 17-4 last season -- the program's best record since 2000 -- and have only bolstered the roster. Not only are all eight players back with a year's added experience, but they've gained Ashleigh Jacobs, a talented freshman from Calgary, Alberta.

Adding to the excitement, the Zags are coming off a fall season that may be deemed an unqualified success. They combined to win 74.1% of their singles contests over four fall tournaments (63-22), and in doubles, that mark goes up to 75.7% (28-9). Junior Nevada Apollo ended the fall 9-1 and ranked in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's national singles poll, and the pair of Alex Bourguignon and Haruna Tsuruta went 6-1, reached the quarterfinals of the ITA Northwest Regionals, and became the first duo in program history to earn a national ranking. Furthermore, the Zags won every bracket at the Bulldog Invite, were nearly perfect at the Gonzaga Invitational, and saw Sophie Whittle earn an ITA All-American Championships berth for the first time ever.

"The fall builds confidence, especially for a couple players," Gurule continued. "Whether it was during our fall season where Nevada had some great wins, Haruna and Alex had some unbelievable wins - to be ranked in doubles is amazing for them. Or to Sophie, who had a great win outside of a Gonzaga event is amazing to us. That being said, the bigger piece to us is what our team did outside of competition: how hard they worked, their conditioning, their commitment to each other and commitment to their fitness has been huge. It's built up what we've been doing and solidified the character of this team, which is hard workers. They go to work. They don't question anything, they go to work and they get the job done, which is pretty special."

That work ethic and commitment to one another has meant 6 a.m. workouts -- on the weekend, no less -- countless drills, team-only practices, anything to push harder and get better. And that's what Gurule is most enthusiastic about.

"Their work ethic and their passion for each other is what's really special, is their strongest piece," he said of his players. "If any one of them had to forego individual accolades or anything else, they would do it in a heartbeat for the betterment of the team. Which, in an individual sport like tennis where they've been groomed all their lives to be about what they do individually, to have such a team mentality, it's unheard of. And it'll be amazing to see unfold."

Gurule, assistant coach Natalie Pluskota, and the team will watch it unfold over a tough 22-match slate. Seven of their scheduled foes reached the NCAA tournament last season, five claimed at least a share of their conference championship last season, and five ended the year ranked in the ITA's Top 50. The Zags will participate in the ITA's Kick-Off Weekend for the first time Jan. 27-28, facing Michigan and either Brown or Tulsa. They'll also travel for tough matches against Wichita State and Kansas, and they'll have to deal with perennial conference and national power Pepperdine during the quest for a WCC crown.

"We just know that the opportunity is there for us, and it doesn't hinge itself on a couple of matches like maybe it did last year," Gurule said. "This year, we have a lot of opportunity to prove ourselves, and I think we proved that in the fall, too. We had a great fall and it feels like we'll just roll that right over into the spring."

The spring dual season starts Sunday, Jan. 21, with a home match against Montana State. The Bobcats went 14-6 overall and 9-2 in Big Sky play last season, finishing in third place. Just one returner -- senior Angelina Philippova -- spent time in the singles lineup last season, although sophomore Linda Vink did play at No. 5 singles two years ago. They've also added sophomore transfer Laura Mary and five freshmen to the roster for 2018.

That season-opening contest will begin at 11:00 a.m. inside The Stevens Center. Links for live video and live stats during that and every home match may be found at www.GoZags.com.