Sept. 20, 2008

SPOKANE, Wash. - Gonzaga University and Eastern Washington University will co-host the Bulldogs and Eagles Invitational women's golf tournament Monday and Tuesday at The Links Golf Club in nearby Post Falls, Idaho.

The 14-team field will tee off in a shotgun start at 8 a.m. Monday for the opening two rounds, with the final round at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday.

Joining Gonzaga and EWU in the field are Portland State University, Montana State University, Southern Utah University, UC Riverside, Cal Poly, South Dakota State University, University of Montana, Idaho State University, University of British Columbia, Utah Valley University, Western Washington University and the University of Victoria.

The Links will play 6,123 yards to par 72.

The Bulldogs are coming off a season-opening tournament a week ago at Washington State University which saw them tie for sixth. Freshmen Stephanie Corey and Jessica Howe turned in solid performances and sophomore Rachel Sibbitt showed signs of picking up where she left off last year.

Corey, from Burien, Wash., took medalist honors for the Bulldogs in her collegiate debut, finishing 15th at 229 with rounds of 77-73-79. Howe, from Poway, Calif., struggled to an opening-round 87 but settled down to shoot 74-76 over the final 36 holes and finished at 237 for 31st.

Sibbitt, 11th in last year's West Coast Conference Championship to pace the Bulldogs as a freshman, started strong with rounds of 75-74, but shot a final-round 81 to fall to 16th.

Second-year head coach Brad Rickel will again have the luxury of seeing his entire team in action. He is expected to keep Corey, Sibbitt, Howe, Anna Friedhoff and Sage Suffecool on the "A" team, although he might juggle their order.

Elizabeth Jarrett, Lauren Reynolds, Lauren Bierley, and Lauren Phillips are expected to comprise the "B" team which will probably be without Katie Gumke, who was forced to withdraw after 27 holes last week with a hand injury.

Gonzaga's final three tournaments of the fall will be on the road.

"After this tournament we should have our travel team pretty well decided for the fall," Rickel said. "There might be a little juggling of positions, but these first two weeks will have afforded me the opportunity to evaluate this team in competition rather than strictly in practice rounds. That is good for me and good for them. It shows how they respond in competition."