Gonzaga University
Gonzaga Invite
10/30/2026 4:29:00 PM | Women's Tennis
The Zags Advance in Doubles and Singles Play
SPOKANE, Wash. – The Gonzaga women's tennis team began hosting the Gonzaga Invite Friday morning. The day was filled with wins for the Bulldogs, and they compiled an 8-1 record across all matches.
Beginning the day with doubles play, the Bulldogs earned an impressive 3-0 record. After all three pairings received a bye in the Round of 16, they automatically moved into the event's quarterfinal matches. Ella Nielsen and Aisulu Zholbolat swiftly defeated Eastern Washington's Veronika Gayevyk and Alena Dziubenko with a 6-2 final score. Similarly, Madeleine MacNeille and Luana De Freitas Avelar took the win over Maria Lopez Gomez and Noa Ribera Brisa (EWU), 6-3. Karla Brown and Sveva Zerpelloni fought hard against Montana's Monika Fizova and Kate Prichard and secured the win in their close match, which required a tiebreak, 7-6(8).
Singles matches were divided into two brackets: Red and Blue. In Red play, MacNeille battled against Olivia Marais (EWU) in the first set and eventually secured the win, 7-6(1), before commanding the second, 6-1, to win the match. Zerpelloni controlled the entirety of her match with Kamila Suneeva (UM), breezing through to a 6-0, 6-0 final score. Zholbolat also earned a straight-set victory in her match against Montana's Rebecka Jerlardtz. Avelar rallied impressively in her competition with Portland State's Nikhitha Suresh, falling in the first set, 5-7, before dominantly coming back to win 6-3 and 6-1 in the second and third sets, respectively.
In Blue singles play, Brown and Nielsen received byes in the Round of 16 and went straight to the bracket's quarterfinals. Nielsen defeated her Eastern Washington opponent in straight sets, 6-0, 6-4. Brown fell in her first set against Eastern Washington, 5-7, regrouped to take the second, 6-4, but ultimately fell in the third, 1-6, to give the Bulldogs their only loss of the day.
The Bulldogs will move forward in doubles and singles play tomorrow after their strong performance today. The Gonzaga Invite will continue through Sunday at the Stevens Center. Participating teams include Eastern Washington, Gonzaga, Montana, Portland State, and Washington State.
Results:
Doubles:
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R16: Ella Nielsen/Aisulu Zholbolat received a bye
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Quarterfinals: Ella Nielsen/Aisulu Zholbolat def. Veronika Gayevyk/Alena Dziubenko (EWU) 6-2
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R16: Madeleine MacNeille/Luana De Freitas Avelar received a bye
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Quarterfinals: Madeleine MacNeille/Luana De Freitas Avelar def. Maria Lopez Gomez/Noa Ribera Brisa (EWU) 6-3
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R16: Karla Brown/Sveva Zerpelloni received a bye
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Quarterfinals: Karla Brown/Sveva Zerpelloni def. Monika Fizova/Kate Prichard (UM) 7-6(8)
Singles:
Red Singles:
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R16: Madeleine MacNeille def. Olivia Marais (EWU) 7-6(1), 6-1
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R16: Aisulu Zholbolat def. Rebecka Jerlardtz (UM) 6-4, 7-5
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R16: Sveva Zerpelloni def. Kamila Suneeva (UM) 6-0, 6-0
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R16: Luana De Freitas Avelar def. Nikhitha Suresh (PSU) 5-7, 6-3, 6-1
Blue Singles:
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R16: Karla Brown received a bye
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Quarterfinals: Sol Junquera Martinez (EWU) def. Karla Brown 7-5, 4-6, 6-1
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R16: Ella Nielsen received a bye
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Quarterfinals: Ella Nielsen def. Maria Lopez Gomez (EWU) 6-0, 6-4
