Zags Continue Play at Northwest Regionals
10/12/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
PALO ALTO, Calif.—The Gonzaga University women's tennis squad continued play during day two of the ITA Northwest Regionals Saturday, and all three participating Zags fell in tough matches at Taube Family Tennis Stadium.
"We learned a lot today about what we need to continue working on, both in pressure situations and in practice," said Gonzaga women's tennis assistant coach Caroline Lilley. "We are looking forward to having a positive response tomorrow as we continue to face tough opponents in a very competitive environment."
Coming into the match, Gonzaga had one player remaining in the main singles draw as Samantha Polayes won both matches Oct. 10 to reach the Round of 32. During that Round of 32 match, the senior faced off against seventh-seeded Taylor Davidson of California. Polayes hung tough but fell 6-0, 6-3.
In singles consolation play, Franziska Koehler opened her match against Genevieve McCloskey of San Francisco with a 5-7 set win. McCloskey won the second set 6-1, however, to force a third set supertiebreak. The tiebreaker was well-fought, but McCloskey edged out the Zags' junior for a 5-7, 6-1, (10-8) match victory.
Alex Bourguignon also played tough in her consolation match, a loss to Fresno State's Sofya Malysheva. The freshman won nine games but didn't string enough together and fell in a 7-5, 6-4 decision.
Polayes and Bourguignon also took part the consolation doubles draw Saturday, facing Washington State's Maria Biryukova and Nastia Vasyukhina. Gonzaga's pair won five games, but the Cougar duo prevailed in the pro set 8-5.
The three Zag competitors aren't done in the ITA Northwest Regionals. They'll all get another opportunity to experience match action at the tournament on Sunday, Oct. 12, again at Taube Family Tennis Stadium.
