SPOKANE, Wash. – Gonzaga women's tennis rallied to a 4-2 victory over Saint Mary's on Friday at the Stevens Center.

The Bulldogs (8-7 overall, 1-1 WCC) claimed the doubles point as No. 1 pairing Emily Robertson/Ella Nielsen triumphed 6-4 and Norhan Hesham/Safien Boulonois won 6-3 on court three. When the dual moved to singles, Rose Hayes/Lia Espinal led 5-4.

Robertson kept the pedal down in singles, quickly dismantling her opponent 6-0, 6-2. The Gaels tied the dual 2-2 by defeating Hayes (6-1, 6-1) and outlasting Hesham (7-5, 6-4).

The remaining singles bouts all went to three frames, with the Zags bouncing back from dropped first sets in each. First, Espinal recovered to win 1-6, 7-5, 6-4 then Nielsen clinched the overall dual with a 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-2 victory.

When the match ended, Boulonois was one point away from winning a third-set tiebreaker. To force the tiebreaker, she had battled back from a 5-1 deficit in that frame. Boulonois won the second set 6-2 after falling in a first-frame tiebreaker.

UP NEXT: The Bulldogs continue WCC play with a home dual against Pacific on Saturday (March 29). For those unable to attend, live video and stats will be available at GoZags.com.

MATCH NOTES
- GU women's tennis is now 8-7 overall and 1-1 in WCC play this dual season, with other wins over Michigan State, Eastern Washington, New Mexico State, New Mexico, Air Force, Montana, and Seattle.
- The Bulldogs are 6-2 at the Stevens Center.
- Saint Mary's is now 5-8 overall and 1-2 in conference play.
- Saint Mary's defeated Pacific 4-1 last Saturday (March 22) in Moraga and was swept by No. 52 Washington State yesterday (March 27) in Pullman.

DOUBLES NOTES
- Emily Robertson/Ella Nielsen improved to 7-2 when paired up this spring season, while Norhan Hesham/Safien Boulonois boosted their record to 5-3.
- The Zags are 22-15 overall in doubles matches.
- Robertson's 10-3 doubles record leads the Bulldogs, followed by Boulonois (8-4), Hesham (8-5), and Nielsen (7-4).
- Last weekend against No. 57 Washington State, Robertson/Nielsen defeated Eva Alvarez/Maxine Murphy, who were ranked No. 41 nationally as a doubles team at the time.

3/28 Dual Results:
Gonzaga 4, Saint Mary's 2

Doubles
1. Emily Robertson/Ella Nielsen def. Iman Khan/MiaAngelina Ruja (SMC), 6-4
2. Rose Hayes/Lia Espinal vs. Madison Weekley/Tiana Fox (SMC), 5-4 (unfinished)
3. Norhan Hesham/Safien Boulonois def. Stefanie Silva/Juliette Daries (SMC), 6-3
Order of Finish: 1, 3

Singles
1. Emily Robertson def. Iman Khan (SMC), 6-0, 6-2
2. Juliette Daries (SMC) def. Norhan Hesham, 7-5, 6-4
3. Ella Nielsen def. MiaAngelina Ruja (SMC) 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-2
4. Olivia Rook (SMC) def. Rose Hayes, 6-1, 6-1
5. Safien Boulonois vs. Stefanie Silva (SMC), 6-7 (6), 6-2, 6-6 (6-4) (unfinished)
6. Lia Espinal def. Madison Weekley (SMC), 1-6, 7-5, 6-4
Order of Finish: 1, 4, 2, 6, 3