FORT MYERS, Fla. – Gonzaga women's tennis bounced back with a 4-3 win over Florida Gulf Coast on Wednesday in Fort Myers, Fla.
The Zags (8-6) earned the win with a hard-fought doubles point and three singles wins to take down FGCU (5-7). The match came down to the No. 1 court with GU senior
Kate Ketels erasing a one-set deficit to win.
"I was really impressed with the team today," head coach
D.J. Gurule said. "It was a tough turnaround after a delayed match last night and an early one today, but we showed a lot of grit and determination. Kate [Ketels] and Haruna [Tsuruta] were clutch today, and it's really rewarding to see them blossom into leaders."
After
Jenna Sloan and
Taylor Gruber took a 6-3 win in doubles on No. 3, FGCU squared it up with a win on No. 2 to leave the match to a tiebreaker on No. 1. GU's
Vlada Medvedcova and Ketels held on for a 7-6(4) win to secure the 1-0 lead.
Then in singles, Tsuruta and
Cate Broerman dominated to give GU a 3-0 lead. Tsuruta finished first with a 6-1, 6-0 win on No. 3, and Broerman followed with a 6-1, 6-2 win on No. 2.
FGCU battled back with wins on Nos. 4 and 6 to bring the score to 3-2, before a third-set tiebreak went the Eagles way to knot the score at 3-3.
On the final court left, No. 1, GU's Ketels dropped the first set in a tiebreak, but forced a third when she won the second 6-3. In the deciding set, Ketels again took control for a 6-3 win.
Gonzaga will wrap up its spring break trip to Florida with a neutral-site matchup with Boston U on Friday in Coconut Creek, Fla., at 9 a.m. PT/12 p.m. ET.