April 5, 2005

San Diego, Calif. - The West Coast Conference announced today that Emma Murphy has been named the WCC Player of the Month (March) and Murphy and partner Lauren Perl have been selected as the WCC Doubles Team of the Month (March). This is the second monthly honor for Murphy and the first for Murphy and Perl.

Murphy, a native of Cork, Ireland, has been a force for the Toreros in the month of March. Despite facing many higher ranked opponents, the junior has taken them down with relative ease. She owns a record of 8-2 in March at the No. 1 position, defeating great players such as Michaela Moldovan of Florida State (No. 17), Margarita Karnhaukhova of Sacramento State (No. 21), Ekaterina Burdelli of Washington State (No. 71), and Lauren Fitzgerald (No. 103) of Hawaii. Her only losses were to Julie Coin of Clemson (No. 2) and a three-set setback to Dea Sumantri of Washington (No. 15). Murphy is currently ranked No. 30 in the nation.

The teamwork and consistency that Murphy and Perl, also a junior, exhibited have paved the way for many victories this past month, as the duo own a stellar 9-1 doubles record in March. Playing at the No. 2 position, their only loss came at the hands of Ashley Kroh and Jeanne Schwartz of No. 70 Marshall University. Kroh is a returning All-American who reached the NCAA Doubles Finals in 2004. The Toreros have faced many ranked teams in March, including No. 13 Clemson, No. 21 Washington, No. 32 Sacramento State, No. 34 Florida State, and No. 68 Washington State, but the San Diego pair found a way to come out on top in each of those occasions.