Tennis hopes for strong finish

By Margo Consul

The women's tennis team might be doing some damage at the West Coast Conference Championship this weekend, according to senior Stephanie Galainena.

"Everything is harmonious right now," Galainena said. "It's all about momentum, and I think we are on the rise right now."

Santa Clara will enter this weekend's tournament as the sixth-seeded team.

"If we do really well, we can consider it a really successful season," head coach Ben Cabell said. "If we do really poorly, we might have to go back to the drawing board. A lot of it we'll tell in these last three matches."

The Broncos will be matched up against the third-seeded Saint Mary's, who have given Santa Clara much trouble in the past, said senior Myra Davoudi.

"We just lost to them, and we always lose to them," Davoudi said. "But we have a different lineup going in, and I think that's going to change things. Sometimes when you change things up a little you jump a little bit and things can go our way."

"They are a very good team," Cabell said of Saint Mary's. "We just played them. They beat us pretty good. We did play them a little shorthanded."

Although the Broncos lost to Saint Mary's 7-0 on April 5, Galainena and sophomore Ashley Pane beat the Gaels' top doubles team with a pro-set score of 8-5.

"We showed that the doubles were our strength over the course of the season, and so we definitely feel good going into the doubles, which is always good because it gives momentum when we win the double point, so we're looking forward to that," Cabell said.

It has been a slow but steady season for the women's tennis team, but the Broncos are happy with the results of the season.

Santa Clara finished their regular season with an overall record of 8-10 and a 2-3 record in league play.

"There's big improvement over the last year," said Cabell. "One of our main things was to show that we are going in the right direction. We definitely accomplished that," he said. "I think a lot of it will tell by how we do in the WCC tournament."

Santa Clara's goal is to finish at least fourth at the WCC tournament, and in order to do so they must beat rivals Portland and Gonzaga.

The Broncos defeated Portland and Gonzaga both by a score of 6-1 during the regular season.

The team has to win on the first day to at least place fourth in the tournament, but they have labeled themselves as a clutch team.

"The team has shown that in the past, but they still have to make it happen. They've proved that they play well in big matches, especially in the end of the year," Cabell said.

Contact Margo Consul at (408) 551-1918 or mconsul@scu.edu.