MORAGA, Calif. – The Saint Mary's Women's Tennis team are back in action this weekend as they head to Santa Clara on Friday and San Francisco on Saturday.
 
Friday marks the beginning of WCC play for the Gaels, as they look to improve on their 5-4 conference record from last season. 
 
THE DETAILS
Saint Mary's Gaels (4-5) at Santa Clara Broncos (0-9)
Friday, March 24 at 11 AM
Degheri Tennis Center – Santa Clara, Calif. 
Watch | Live Stats
 
Saint Mary's Gaels (4-5) at University of San Francisco Dons (7-5)
Saturday, March 25 at 10 AM 
Hearst Tennis Courts – San Francisco, Calif. 
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Gaels were bested by the San Jose State Spartans last Friday, as a handful of DNF's forced SMC to retire three singles matches early.
 
SMC's deadly duo of Jordan Harris and Lene Mari Hovda did what they do best, as they beat the Spartans Alba Pedrero Galindo and Carolina Millan 6-4. 
 
The home team had the advantage in the other two doubles matches, as Rozalina Youseva and Irena Muradyan beat SMC's Stefanie Silva and Iman Khan. The young Gaels held their own, as the match went to a 6-6 tiebreak. The Spartans pulled through however to win the tiebreak 7-1 and seal the doubles point for San Jose State.
 
Luck was not on Saint Mary's side on St. Patrick's Day, as Jordan Harris, Iman Khan, and Stefanie Silva were all forced to abandon their matches early.
 
Jordan Harris was engrossed in an intense match with the Spartans Alba Pedrero Galindo before she withdrew. Galindo won the first set 6-4, before Harris bounced back to win the second 6-3. Galindo was leading 2-0 in the third when the match was called off.
 
Iman Khan was leading her match 6-1, 5-4, just one game away from victory, when she was forced to withdraw. 
 
Stefanie Silva had dropped her first set 6-4, and was tied in the second 2-2 with Jovana Babic when her match was called off as well. 
 
As for the matches that finished, Lene Mari Hovda struggled to keep her momentum from last week as she fell to Carolina Millan 6-3, 6-0.
 
Olivia Rook faced a similar fate, as San Jose's Irena Muradyan refused to let Rook get into the match, as the Spartan won 6-1, 6-1. 
 
Freshman Tian Yu Dong fared slightly better, but still couldn't snatch a set from Raquel Pereira, who won the match 6-4, 6-2. Pereira's match win clinched the overall victory for the home team as well.
 
ABOUT SANTA CLARA
The Broncos enter their matchup with the Gaels looking for their first win of the season. Santa Clara have started the season 0-9 after going 9-9 overall during the 2021-22 season. Broncos head coach Clifton Awuy is in his first season in charge of the program after spending a year as the volunteer assistant coach. Santa Clara have been unable to get a point from their past five matchups, but the Broncos will look to change their luck this upcoming Friday when the Gaels roll into town. 
 
ABOUT SAN FRANCISCO
The Dons enter their matchup against the Gaels on Saturday having started the season 6-5. USF are coming off 5-2 win over Dartmouth over the weekend, and a 4-2 midweek win over San Jose State. Dons head coach Peter Bartlett is in his 25^th season with San Francisco, having coached both the men's and women's program. Bartlett took over the reins of the women's team full time six season ago, coaching the side to multiple winning seasons.