SANTA ROSA, Calif. --- The Biola Eagles opened the Sonoma State Spring Invitational with their best single-round score of the calendar year thus far, shooting a 314 as a group to perch in sixth place after the first day of competition.

"The course has gotten a lot of rain in the past several weeks and is incredibly soggy almost to the point of being unplayable. Despite the condition of the course and late round rainy conditions our players came out with a solid first round," said Head Coach Jane Carr. "Perhaps the players are getting use to playing in the rain as we have played every spring tournament with the exception of one in rainy conditions."  

Even with the soggy conditions at the Santa Rosa Golf & Country Club on Monday, the Eagles took an aggressive approach in the first round and were rewarded with a team total of seven birdies that helped them climb up the leaderboard of the 15-team field. Biola is one of six PacWest programs in the tournament and outplayed three conference peers by at least five strokes in the first round: Holy Names, Dominican and Hawaii Pacific.

With one round left to play on Tuesday, the Eagles are just eight strokes behind fifth place Cal State East Bay and have a shot at a top individual finish to boot after Jules Loibl shot a 73 in the first round.

Loibl started her round strong with a birdie on hole four and never wavered. Her high mark on the day was just +2 and she closed the round extremely well, playing even par over her final eight holes. It's the fourth time this season that Loibl has shot 73 or better in a round and it plants Loibl in sole possession of third place, just three shots behind the overall leader Anahi Servin.

"Jules Loibl has definitely hit her stride for the Biola Women's Golf team. I knew from the day I met Jules that she was going to be a fierce competitor, said Carr. "She is a fun player to watch because if she isn't hitting fairways and greens then she is punching out of trees or going up and over them to save par. Jules has the ability to score from anywhere on the course."

With another good round from Loibl and bounce-back performances from her teammates, the Eagles are prime candidates to create more separation from their PacWest peers and even to make a run at the Point Loma team that shot +12 on Monday.

Alexis Gopfert had a rough start this morning; a player that doesn't typically struggle with nerves started the day a bit wobbly," said Coach Carr. "After her seventh hole she called me over and asked if I would walk with her for a little bit. She had just come off the 13th green having played the first seven holes at six over par. Her mind was racing a million miles an hour and she was getting way ahead of herself. After a few holes she said, "Coach I don't know if you know this but you have a real calming way about you". Alexis went on to play the next 12 holes two-over-par to finish the day with a score of 80. I guess sometimes it's good to just have someone by your side."

Sophia Karnazes (79) and Gopfert (80) each played five-hole stretches where they played even par, putting both women in the top half of the leaderboard. While Marcel Manalo (82) and Sami Penor (84) both will get a second chance to navigate the par-5 fifth hole that gave them a bit of trouble.

"I am really proud of Sophia Karnazes who made the travel team as a fifth spot coaches pick.  It was good to see her come in with a solid 79 today," said Coach Carr. "She was striking the ball so well and sticking to her practice round game plan. Sophia displayed a lot of determination and focus out there today."

Play will resume on Tuesday at 8:30 a.m. for the final round.