St. Scholastica is coaches' unanimous pick to win women's tennis title in 2010
2010 UMAC Women’s Tennis Preseason Coaches’ Poll
1. 25 Points - College of St. Scholastica (5 First Place Votes)
2. 20 Points - Northwestern College
3. 17 Points - Martin Luther College (1)
4. 14 Points - Bethany Lutheran College
T-5. 7 Points - University of Minnesota, Morris
T-5. 7 Points - North Central University
ST. PAUL -- Winner of 13 straight Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) regular season and tournament championships, the College of St. Scholastica women’s tennis team emerged as the clear favorite to win the league yet again 2010. With 25 points and five first place votes, the Saints easily surpassed second place-Northwestern College, who earned 20 points in the conference’s preseason coaches’ poll.
St. Scholastica, who, in addition to the multitude of conference championships, seeks its fourth NCAA Tournament appearance in 2010, has to replace three of the six All-UMAC members from last year, including NCAA Division III singles runner-up Ploy Suthijindawong. The Saints do return three-time all-conference member Katie Motley. Along with winning her second consecutive No. 1 doubles UMAC title, she won the No. 2 singles flight for the second time in as many years. Motley was 5-0 in both conference singles and doubles matches last season. Also returning is All-UMAC choice Callee Conda. Conda went 4-0 in both singles and doubles matches in UMAC play in 2009. She won the No. 3 singles flight championship and also teamed up with Kelly Ross to win the No. 3 doubles title. Ross is also back for the Saints this season.
Northwestern enters the 2010 season with questions as the Eagles’ No. 1 singles player from 2009 in Wendy Miller departed due to graduation, moving everyone else up one spot in Coach John Sanny’s lineup. Rebecca Leland, who started in the bottom half of NWC’s singles roster as a freshman, has now moved to the team’s top position, and will face some tougher competition as a result. The same goes for Johanna Alex, Dana Smith, and Victoria Viggers, who have all shifted in the lineup. Their ability to win matches against more difficult competition could define the team’s success on the court in 2010.
Martin Luther College, who finished third in the poll with 17 points, returns all six performers from the 2009 team that finished with an overall record of 5-9 and 4-6 mark in UMAC play. Rachel Niemi returns to hold down the number one spot for the Knights after posting a 6-7 record there as a freshman in 2009. Behind her in singles are juniors Tessa Hieb and Meredith Koltz, as well as sophomores Michelle Hintz, Heidi Heckmann, Lauren Gross and Hannah Janke. Carol Niemi has also joined the team this season, and looks to provide some quality competition for the all of the returning players.
With 14 points, fourth place Bethany Lutheran College has improved every year since the team went winless in 2005, and the 2009 season proved to be their most successful yet. The Vikings finished the season with a 5-4 UMAC record. Returning for the Vikings are first team all-conference players Elizabeth Kopacek and Meaghan Dahlke, who finished last year’s campaign with even records of 7-7 in singles matches. Last season’s No. 4 singles player, Madara Matveja, had a successful season finishing 8-6 before placing second in the conference tournament.
The University of Minnesota, Morris and North Central University tied for fifth place in the poll with seven points apiece. Both the Cougars and Rams are looking to improve on their 2009 seasons. The Minnesota-Morris squad is largely an unknown quotient this season due to influx of strong freshman talent and developing sophomore players. First year player Mai Doan comes in highly touted but will draw tough competition as the No. 1 singles player. A wide range of all-around players will give head coach Eli Starzl flexibility in trying new lineups and combinations.
2010 marks the second year of the tennis program at North Central University. This year, the Rams hope to build upon their inaugural season in the UMAC conference and continue to develop a new tradition of tennis at the school. No. 1 singles player Melissa Hougland and No. 3 singles player Rachel Lojovich will be competing for the squad’s top honors this season. They will be joined by a few freshmen players who competed aggressively at the high school level last year.
Following each institution’s 10 scheduled conference matches, all six teams will gather on May 7-8 at the Baseline Tennis Center on the University of Minnesota campus in Minneapolis where individual and team champions will be crowned at the UMAC Tournament.