Gonzaga University
Gonzaga Invite
10/31/2026 7:11:00 PM | Women's Tennis
The Zags Extend Their Winning Streak into Day Two
SPOKANE, Wash. – The Gonzaga women's tennis team continued play in the second day of the Gonzaga Invite on Saturday. Similar to Friday's performance, the team controlled its matches and will advance to the final rounds of both singles and doubles play tomorrow.
After advancing to the semifinals yesterday with their doubles wins, Ella Nielsen and Aisulu Zholbolat defeated Portland State's Sofiia Ziukyna and Nene Uemure with a swift 6-1 score. Karla Brown and Sveva Zerpelloni battled their own teammates, Madeleine MacNeille and Luana De Freitas Avelar, and took the win, 6-4. MacNeille and Avelar were set to play Sofiia Ziukyna and Nene Uemure (PSU) to determine third and fourth place, but the former pair had to withdraw from the match due to injury, claiming fourth place in the invite. The two winning duos, both from Gonzaga, will play each other tomorrow in the finals.
Continuing with the dual-bracket style of Friday's singles matches, players from both the Red and Blue brackets played today, beginning with competition in the quarterfinal round. MacNeille claimed her quarterfinal win against Clara Schoen (WSU) in straight sets, 6-2, 7-6(5). Zholbolat defeated her Portland State opponent, Nene Uemure, after dropping the first set, 2-6, and storming back to win the second and third, 6-4 and 6-3, respectively. Zerpelloni and Avelar followed suit in a similar pattern, both losing the first set and winning the next two to also move forward to the semifinal round. Following their quarterfinal wins, Avelar and MacNeille were paired up in the semifinals before MacNeille had to withdraw due to injury, automatically advancing Avelar to the final round. Zerpelloni also competed against her teammate, Zholbolat, and will advance to the finals after winning in straight sets, 6-3, 6-1.
In Blue singles play, Ella Nielsen dominated her semifinal match against Eastern Washington's Noa Ribera Brisa in straight sets, 6-2, 6-1. Nielsen will play in the final round of her bracket tomorrow. Karla Brown bounced back from her quarterfinal loss in the Blue bracket on Friday to defeat Montana's Paige Bott in her consolation match in straight sets, 7-5, 6-1.
The Bulldogs will finish play tomorrow at the Stevens Center. Due to the team's strong showing, many of the final-round matches will be Zags versus Zags. Participating teams in the invite include Eastern Washington, Gonzaga, Montana, Portland State, and Washington State.
Results:
Doubles:
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Semifinals: Ella Nielsen/Aisulu Zholbolat def. Sofiia Ziukyna/Nene Uemure (PSU) 6-1
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Semifinals: Karla Brown/Sveva Zerpelloni def. Madeleine MacNeille/Luana De Freitas Avelar 6-4
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Third- and Fourth-Place Playoff: Sofiia Ziukyna/Nene Uemure (PSU) def. Madeleine MacNeille/Luana De Freitas Avelar WD [inj]
Singles:
Red Singles:
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Quarterfinals: Madeleine MacNeille def. Clara Schoen (WSU) 6-2, 7-6(5)
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Quarterfinals: Aisulu Zholbolat def. Nene Uemure (PSU) 2-6, 6-4, 6-3
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Quarterfinals: Sveva Zerpelloni def. Sofiia Ziukyna (PSU) 3-6, 6-3, 6-1
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Quarterfinals: Luana De Freitas Avelar def. Kate Prichard (UM) 4-6, 6-3, 6-2
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Semifinals: Luana De Freitas Avelar def. Madeleine MacNeille WO [inj]
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Semifinals: Sveva Zerpelloni def. Aisulu Zholbolat 6-3, 6-1
Blue Singles:
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Semifinals: Ella Nielsen def. Noa Ribera Brisa (EWU) 6-2, 6-1
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(Consolation): Karla Brown def. Paige Bott (UM) 7-5, 6-1
