Coaches pick St. Scholastica as preseason women's tennis favorite
2012 UMAC Women’s Tennis Coaches’ Poll
1. 24 Points - College of St. Scholastica (4 First Place Votes)
2. 22 Points - Northwestern College (2)
3. 16 Points - Martin Luther College
4. 13 Points - University of Minnesota Morris
5. 9 Points - Bethany Lutheran College
6. 6 Points - North Central University
ST. PAUL -- Winners of every UMAC regular season championship since 1997, the College of St. Scholastica was once again the choice of the conference coaches to win the regular season trophy again in 2012.
1. College of St. Scholastica Saints
2011 Overall Record: 20-4
2011 UMAC Record: 10-0
2011 UMAC Finish: 1st
Starters Returning: 7
Starters Lost: 5
There are a lot of new faces on the St. Scholastica tennis team this season. The Saints will be in search of their 16th consecutive UMAC regular season and tournament titles in 2012. Looking at the 2011 season statistically, it was one of the best seasons in program history. CSS ended the season on a 13-match winning streak, which is the second-longest in program history and reached 20 wins for the third time in program history and first time since 2006. Its four losses were the fewest in a season in program history and its .833 winning percentage was also the program's best ever. The Saints extended their conference dual match win streak to 91 matches in the process and lost just one individual match all season against a conference foe.
The Saints will have to replace departed seniors Callee Conda and Danni Sonnenfeld. Conda was the UMAC Player of the Year in 2012, while Sonnenfeld finished her career with best singles winning percentage in program history (.789). Back is sophomore Hillary Bungarden. Bungarden, the lone all-conference player returning, won 20 singles matches as a freshman, all consecutively after dropping her first collegiate match.
2. Northwestern College Eagles
2011 Overall Record: 6-13
2011 UMAC Record: 6-4
2011 UMAC Finish: 3rd
Starters Returning: 6
Starters Lost: 2
Northwestern’s lineup looks much different this year compared to those of recent years past. Three newcomers have shuffled things atop the Eagles’ roster. Freshman Megan Johnson immediately earned the No. 1 singles spot, where she has already picked up five wins. Kelly Johnson, another freshman, filled in right behind Megan at No. 2 singles, and the roommates have changed the way NWC’s future will look for the next four years. Amber Gallaway has been Northwestern’s most common player in the No. 3 singles position.
Junior captain Amy Knight, who played 16 matches as the Eagles’ No. 2 singles player in 2011, is a strong asset at No. 4 singles in 2012, moving down with the younger talent leading Northwestern on the court. Rachel Smith, a transfer from North Central, has played six non-conference matches at No. 5 singles, winning three of them. Chelsey Fiecke is a near-lock at No. 6 singles after playing at the No. 3 position last season.
3. Martin Luther College Knights
2011 Overall Record: 7-5
2011 UMAC Record: 7-3
2011 UMAC Finish: 2nd
Starters Returning: 4
Starters Lost: 3
The Martin Luther returns four of their top seven players from a season ago, led by top singles player Rachel Niemi, who has been playing out of the top singles spot for the last three seasons for the Knights. She will be joined by 2011 All-UMAC performer Karina Luthra in the second singles spot, while Heidi Heckmann and Michelle Hintz also return for their senior seasons. Newcomers Leslie Klinski and Carissa Kock both found themselves in the singles lineup this winter in matches against Macalester and Edgewood, and hope to be contributors during the spring season.
4. University of Minnesota Morris Cougars
2011 Overall Record: 4-7
2011 UMAC Record: 4-6
2011 UMAC Finish: 4th
Starters Returning: 3
Starters Lost: 4
Coming off of its best season in recent history, the Minnesota Morris women’s tennis team will lean on Abby Fragodt this season as they look to continue to the trend. Fragodt returns for her sophomore season after finishing her freshman season in the championship match of the UMAC Tournament, ending in second place. Fragodt led a team that went 4-8 overall last season, including 4-6 in the UMAC, setting a program record for conference wins. Preya Chunkapura also returns for her senior season, after going 5-5 in dual meets while playing No. 2 and No. 3 singles all season.
5. Bethany Lutheran College Vikings
2011 Overall Record: 3-12
2011 UMAC Record: 3-7
2011 UMAC Finish: 5th
Starters Returning: 5
Starters Lost: 1
The Vikings have a wealth of experience on the roster with just one freshman joining the squad. Junior Rebecca Kopacek will be leading to the way in the No. 1 singles position again. Brook Osmundson went 6-9 in the No. 3 singles spot last year and will be returning for her junior year. Sarah Wagner will also be returning; she went 7-8 in the number four spot last year. Bethany Lutheran will miss Madara Matveja who was named to the all-conference team last year. She was the Vikings’ No. 2 singles player, going 6-4 in UMAC play.
6. North Central University Rams
2011 Overall Record: 0-11
2011 UMAC Record: 0-10
2011 UMAC Finish: 6th
Starters Returning: 3
Starters Lost: 3
North Central is dealing with a lot of turnover, losing its top three players from a year ago. Sadie Danzinger looks to build off a solid freshman year as she steps into a bigger leadership role. Freshmen Paige Treckel and Leah Kacvinsky will be leaned on heavily in the top half of our lineup. Head coach Daved Lundeen considers Treckel to be a very solid singles player and Kacvinsky is a developed doubles player who is working on improving her singles game for the college level.
UMAC matches will start this weekend with each team slated to play 10 conference contests. Following the conclusion of the regular season, four of the six teams will gather at the Baseline Tennis Center on the University of Minnesota campus in Minneapolis on May 4-5 for the UMAC Tournament, which will have a new look in 2012. Instead of the previous individually flighted format, the UMAC finale will take on a team format, featuring team semifinal matches on Friday, May 4, with the winners facing each other in the tournament championship on Saturday, May 5.