Sept. 22, 2016
With its top five players returning from last year's squad that reached the Mountain West championship tournament semifinals, the San Jose State University women's tennis team opens its season, Thursday, September 22, at the Gopher Invitational hosted by the University of Minnesota.
The Spartans are one of 13 teams with singles and doubles entries in the four-day, double-elimination tournament. Head coach Chad Skorupka has six players entered in the top four singles flights and plans for doubles teams, too.
Seniors Marie Klocker and Gaelle Rey, junior Sybille Gauvain, sophomore Miyo Kobayashi and freshmen Diane Flament and Tamara Culibrk are the San Jose State singles entries.
The doubles team of Klocker and Gauvain are ranked #47 nationally in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's preseason poll.
However, the Spartans will begin the season with Klocker teaming with Culibrk, Gauvain with Kobayashi and Rey with Flament.
"We're looking forward to starting our fall season. This is a good opportunity to play against teams we usually never see in competition," says the San Jose State head coach.
Eastern Michigan, Iowa, Iowa State, Marquette, Nebraska Omaha, North Dakota, Northern Iowa, South Dakota, South Dakota State, Wisconsin, Wisconsin-Milwaukee and host Minnesota are the 12 other schools in the season-opening tournament.
"We've had some good practices this fall and are looking forward to seeing our freshmen begin their playing careers at San Jose State," Skorupka added.
One-set doubles matches with a 6-6 tiebreaker if necessary precede two-out-of-three set singles matches daily.