Willamette Team of Gutierrez and Poltavski are Ranked #10 in West Region

By Robert McKinney, Athletics Communications Director, (503) 370-6110

SALEM, ORE. -- In the final Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) rankings for the 2013-14 season, Sabrina Gutierrez (Sr., Newbury Park, CA/Newbury Park HS) and Denise Poltavski (Jr., Woodland Hills, CA/El Camino Real HS) of Willamette University are #10 in women's doubles in the West Region of NCAA Division III.

The talented duo for the Bearcats concluded the season with a 13-2 record in doubles. They were 11-1 in the Northwest Conference.

After an early loss to Katrina Allick and Erin Bell of Whitman College on Feb. 22, Gutierrez and Poltavski strung together 11 consecutive victories. The string of wins included a triumph over Courtney Lawless and Madison Webster of Whitman. Lawless and Madison were listed at #11 in the final West Region rankings.

The winning streak didn't end until Gutierrez and Poltavski fell to Sarah Kukino and Crystal Lim from Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (Calif.) at the Ojai Valley Tournament on April 24.

Another doubles team from Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, Caroline Ward and Katie Kuosman, held the #1 spot in the final rankings. Samantha Chao and Lea Lynn Yen of Pomona-Pitzer (Calif.) were ranked #2, while Jessica Ly and Ceara Sumida from the University of Redlands were ranked #3.

Gutierrez and Poltavski, plus Lawless and Madison, were the only NWC teams ranked in the Top 15 in the final West Region rankings in doubles.