2018-2019 (Senior): ITA All-American...WCC Player of the Year…All-WCC First Team-Singles…All-WCC First Team-Doubles…WCC All-Academic Team…ITA Arthur Ashe Leadership and Sportsmanship Award winner…ITA Most Improved Senior Award…ITA Scholar-Athlete. Singles: 29-9 on the year…started off the year ranked No. 35 in the ITA Women’s National rankings…rose to as high as No. 1 in the country…defeated nine ranked opponents in the fall season…won eight straight matches in six days to win the ITA/Riviera All-American Championships in Los Angeles, becoming Gonzaga’s first-ever ITA National Champion…defeated Duke’s Kelly Chen 6-2, 6-4 to earn the title…at the Oracle ITA Fall National Championships in Surprise, Ariz., she fell in the first round to Pepperdine’s Jessica Failla 3-6, 7-5, 4-6…advanced to the semifinals of the USTA Blizzard Wild Card Challenge in Orlando before falling to Duke’s Chen…began the spring season with 4 straight victories at the No. 1 spot for GU…began WCC play ranked No. 4 nationally with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Maddie Pothoff of Santa Clara…named WCC Player of the Week following her win over Pothoff…picked up a road win at Oklahoma State over Katarina Stresnakova, 6-3, 6-2…closed out WCC play with seven straight victories, including three at the WCC Championships…Seeded at No. 8 in the NCAA Singles Championships, before falling to Anna Turati of Texas 2-6, 6-7 (8-10). Doubles: 22-4 alongside partner Graciela Rosas…Began the season ranked No. 19 overall in the ITA Women’s National rankings…started off the season with two wins at the ITA/Riviera All-American Championships…picked up three wins at the Gonzaga Invitational…began the spring season with 10 straight victories, highlighted with a 6-1 victory over Duke’s Ellyse Hamlin and Kaitlyn McCarthey at the ITA Weekend Kickoff…named WCC Doubles Team of the Week with Rosas after a 6-2 victory over Washington State’s No. 35 ranked Stacey Fung and Nika Zupanic…earned her second WCC Player of the Week honor following two wins over Pacific and Saint Mary’s…closed out WCC play with four straight wins, including three at the WCC Championships…seeded No. 15 in the field with Rosas for the NCAA Doubles Championships… defeated No. 16 Kentucky in the first round in a 4-6, 6-4, 1-0 (12-10) win…fell in the round of 16 to top seeded USC in a 1-6, 6-4 loss.
2017-18 (Junior): First Team All-WCC – Singles…First Team All-WCC – Doubles…WCC All-Academic Team. Singles: Opened the 2017-18 fall season ranked No. 89 overall in the ITA Preseason Poll…posted a team-best 22-5 overall singles record and a perfect 7-0 record in WCC play…represented the Zags at No. 1 singles all season with a 16-3 duals mark…became the first Bulldog to play in the Riviera/ITA All-American Championships in September; fell to Rice’s Wendy Zhang in the first round (6-2, 6-2) but defeated Western Kentucky’s Elpida Malamou 6-1, 6-3 in the consolation…advanced to the Round of 16 at the ITA Division I Women’s Northwest Regional Championship…closed the fall slate with a perfect 3-0 weekend at the Gonzaga Invite, finishing fourth overall with a .648 win percentage…opened the spring season with a 6-1, 6-3 win over Montana State’s Laura Mary…helped the Bulldogs to a 4-2 win over Brown, besting Alyza Benotto 6-4, 6-2 on Jan. 28…suffered only one loss from Feb. 16 through April 27, winning 14 matches with two unfinished...defeated then-No. 71 ranked Fatima Bizhukova of Wichita State 7-5, 0-6, 6-3…picked up WCC Singles Player of the Week after helping Gonzaga to two-straight wins against Harvard (4-3) and Fresno State (5-2)…picked up her second WCC Singles Player of the Week on April 17 after defeating then-No. 106 Mariia Kozyreva of Saint Mary’s (6-3, 6-1) and helped Gonzaga to the 4-0 sweep over Pacific with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Maayan Sela…closed the season with a two-set victory over Loyola Marymount’s Veronica Miroshnichenko, 6-2, 6-2. Doubles: Finished the season with a 17-6 overall record including a 12-5 duals mark and a 7-2 record in WCC play at No. 1 doubles…partnered with Graciela Rosas for all 23 matches… opened the fall slate with five-straight wins…advanced to the round of 16 at the ITA Division I Women’s Northwest Regional Championship…closed the fall season with a perfect weekend at the Gonzaga Invite, earning the doubles title with Rosas…landed at No. 29 in the ITA Rankings on Feb. 7 after posting five-straight doubles wins and defeating then-No. 28 ranked Savannah Slaysman and Tereza Kolarova of Arizona State, 7-6(3)…named WCC Doubles Team of the Week on March 20 following wins against Harvard and Fresno State…came-from-behind to defeat then-No. 29 Veronica Miroshnichenko and Eva Marie Voracek of Loyola Marymount on April 7.
2016-17 (Sophomre): First Team All-WCC -- Singles...First Team All-WCC -- Doubles...WCC All-Academic Team honoree. Singles: 16-7 overall, 10-3 in dual play...won first two singles matches of SMU Invite Oct. 8-10 and Gonzaga Invitational Nov. 11-13...won first three dual matches in spring, all at No. 1 singles...dispatched Fresno State's Emma Wilson 6-1, 6-1 at No. 2 singles March 16...went 3-1 in conference play but was ahead in other five matches left unfinished, including just game away from victory in two...beat San Diego's and BYU's No. 1 singles players March 30 and April 1, earning WCC Singles Player of the Week...twice led Pepperdine's Ashley Lahey, ranked No. 13 or 17 in Division I, when both matches were left unfinished...downed BYU's Savannah Ware-Avina once again April 28 during WCC Championships semifinals. Doubles: 17-7 overall in doubles play, going 12-2 in duals...went 2-0 at USTA/ITA Northwest Regionals Oct. 21-22 with Kate Ketels...went 2-1 in four duals with Ketels...teamed with Graciela Rosas March 18, beginning stretch of 9-0 run...finished season 9-0 with Rosas, the only WCC doubles pair to go undefeated in dual play...6-0 in WCC play, claiming wins against San Francisco, Santa Clara, BYU, Saint Mary's Pacific, and Loyola Marymount...named WCC Doubles Team of the Week March 28...also beat Cusick/Beckman of BYU April 28 in WCC Championships semifinal.
2015-16 (Freshman): First Team All-WCC in Doubles, Second Team All-WCC in Singles…set single season doubles wins record with 25. Singles: Reached final of Cougar Classic Sept. 11-13 with four wins, three over players from Washington State…also reached semifinals of top flight at Saint Mary’s Fall Invite and Round of 16 at ITA Northwest Regionals, the furthest Regional run by a Bulldog…won Blue flight at Bulldog Invitational Nov. 6-8…won seven straight matches from Nov. 6 to Jan. 29, including first three career dual matches…played No. 1 singles entire season…clinched Zags’ 4-2 WCC-opening win over San Diego with three-set victory March 25…beat BYU’s Mayci Jones in two a day later…WCC Singles Player of the Week March 29…went 2-4 in WCC play but led three matches by a set when they were all left unfinished. Doubles: 25-10 overall, 13-6 in dual play…reached final of Cougar Classic Sept. 11-13 with Samantha Polayes…with Polayes, became first GU duo to reach quarterfinals of ITA Northwest Regionals Oct. 23-25 with three wins…won doubles bracket at Bulldog Invitational Nov. 6-8…13-match unbeaten streak from Nov. 6 to March 9, including wins in eight of first nine dual matches…set program record with 20th win March 9 versus Toledo…...joined Polayes as GU’s first WCC Doubles Pair of the Week after record-breaking win…4-4 in WCC play…beat 17th-ranked pair in the nation April 9 with a 7-5 win over Pepperdine…also beat conference foes in Santa Clara, Loyola Marymount, and Pacific…WCC Doubles Pair of the Week once again April 12 after wins versus Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine.
High School: Played for four years on Arroyo Grande High School’s varsity team…went undefeated in league play with 121 wins while tallying 230-9 overall record over four years…was a four-year league champion and named MVP all four years as well…also helped lead the squad to its first sectional title in school history.
Other Experience: Has played in junior tournaments since age seven…won ITA Summer Circuit event at UC Davis in summer 2015…also picked up a doubles bracket victory at an ITA tournament at Cal State LA.
Personal: Given name is Sophia Whittle, but prefers Sophie…parents are Kristi and Ken, and has a brother named Eli…mother Kristi played tennis at Loyola Marymount and had a semi-pro career, and brother Eli plays tennis at UC Davis…undecided on a major…never planned on attending college outside California until visiting Gonzaga…chose Gonzaga because “I like that Washington has seasons and the community is really involved with the University. Also, everyone on campus, including the coaches, staff, and girls on the team were very welcoming and motivated to help me improve as an individual with my academics and athletics.”
