Juan Villa / The Collegian
The Fresno State women’s golf team enters this weekend’s Western Athletic Conference (WAC) championship tournament with momentum, a home team advantage and — most importantly –– confidence.
“I bet if you asked the girls what place they came in last year, they would have no idea,â€Â coach Angie Cates said. “That tournament feels like forever ago. I really do think we can win this tournament.â€Â
Fresno State̢۪s confidence didn̢۪t come all at once.
“Our fall season was not very good at all,â€Â Cates said. “Our team has worked incredibly hard all year long.â€Â
The Bulldogs̢۪ hard work paid off. Since the beginning of the spring semester, the Bulldogs have undoubtedly put together great performances against quality teams.
Fresno State started to gain confidence in their first home tournament.
Junior Taylor Siebert finished the tournament at even par. Her performance was good enough for first place overall at the Fresno State Invitational.
After tough outings at Nevada and San Jose State, Fresno State regrouped its composure and had its best performance of the season.
They finished third at the NCAA Western Regional Preview tournament. Fresno State finished ahead of top-50 ranked teams UNLV and UC Davis.
“That was our best finish all year,â€Â Cates said. “I think that tournament gives us great confidence going into this tournament knowing that we can beat some of the best teams out there, so it definitely helped us.â€Â
Cates said she knows that the home team advantage can help her team.
This year̢۪s WAC tournament is being held at the Sunnyside Country Club in Fresno. Cates said the golf course is a traditional golf course with small greens and lots of bunkers.
“The visiting teams are probably going to get frustrated,â€Â Cates said. “They’re going to find themselves in a lot of bunkers. Unless you are hitting the ball absolutely perfect every time, you’re probably going to end up in some bunkers.â€Â
Cates said her team knows the course well and that it gives them a clear advantage.
“We’ve been practicing out there all year so we know how to play it and we have a game plan,â€Â she said. “We know we are going to be in bunkers. It’s part of this golf course, so were not going to get frustrated or upset.â€Â
Cates said part of winning this year̢۪s tournament is going to mean getting past No. 39 ranked San Jose State.
The Spartans are the best team in the conference.
Cates said that her team is built very similarly to the Spartans. Both teams don̢۪t have a superstar and rack up low scores with consistentcy from all golfers.
“It’s just that teamwork and consistency that we’ve finally found ourselves; there’s no need to be intimidated by them,â€Â Cates said. “It’s probably the first time since the beginning of the program that this team truly believes they can win.â€Â