The St. Catherine University tennis team has been off it its best start in program history and rolled to eight-straight wins this week with a 6-3 win over Gustavus Adolphus College - a first in the history of the program - Saturday in St. Peter, Minn. The dominant play of the Wildcats has been in large part to undefeated No. 1 singles player Victoria Bravo (Tucson, Ariz.) who has been named this week's Wildcat Athlete of the Week for her strong performance against the Gusties.
Against the Gusties, Bravo proved why she has been the top singles player in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) in the early part of the season as she took down Laurel Kresbach 6-0, 6-4 to lead the Wildcats to victory. With the win, Bravo remained undefeated at No. 1 singles and is one of only four players in the conference with a perfect 5-0 record in the MIAC, including teammate Maria Koval (Green Bay, Wis.).
Bravo has won every singles match in straight sets and was already named the MIAC Women's Tennis Athlete-of-the-Week after her defeat of Carleton College's Braidget Doyle. At the time of the match, Doyle was the top-ranked MIAC singles player in the ITA Central Region pre-season rankings at No. 17. Bravo is now the winningest player in singles play and at the No. 1 position in the MIAC.
In doubles play, Bravo and her partner Kylie Ketcho (Edina, Minn.) have been nearly perfect at the No. 1 spot. The pair boasts a 7-1 with its only loss coming at the hands of Carleton.
Bravo and the Wildcats will take a week off of competition before returning to play against Saint Mary's University on Friday, March 22, in Winona, Minn., at 6 p.m.
