PULLMAN, Wash. – Gonzaga women's tennis opened competition at the Washington State Cougar Classic today with several strong performances, highlighted by two teams advancing in the unique doubles-singles format. In this event, teams of two start with a doubles match worth one point, followed by singles matches against the same opponents. The first side to earn two points moves forward in the draw.
For the Bulldogs, the duo of
Madeleine MacNeille and
Ella Nielsen started strong with an 8–6 doubles win over Portland. Nielsen then secured the clinching point with a gritty 7–5, 7–6(8) singles victory. MacNeille dropped her match, but the Zags had already locked up the overall win, 2–1.
The team of
Brooke Bittner and
Rose Hayes also advanced. Bittner and Hayes edged Washington State's pair 8–7(5) in doubles, and Bittner later battled for a 6–3, 3–6, 6–2 singles win to secure the match. Hayes fell in her singles match, but Gonzaga still advanced 2–1 overall.
Meanwhile,
Karla Brown and
Savannah Johnson fought hard in their opening matchup against Montana. After dropping the doubles match 8–3, Gonzaga needed to sweep singles to advance. Karla delivered a 7–6(3), 6–2 win, but SJ came up just short in a three-set battle, falling 6–1, 4–6, 1–6. The Bulldogs dropped the matchup 1–2.
Gonzaga returns to the courts Saturday as the teams continue their runs in the Cougar Classic draw.
