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Women's tennis building on 2008 success Release Date:
August 25 , 2009
MONMOUTH, Ill. —
Last season, the Monmouth College
women’s tennis team placed third in the Midwest Conference
Tournament – their highest finish since 1979.
In 2009, new head coach Patrick
Montgomery will need to replace the more than 150 combined
singles and doubles wins lost to graduation. Replacing all those
victories from three of the team’s six starters may sound like a
daunting task, but Montgomery has an ace up his sleeve – defending
No. 2 singles champion Amy Unzicker (Morton, Ill./Morton).
“Amy has really stepped up her
game,” praised Montgomery, who served as an assistant last season.
“We’re working on a couple facets of her game that will take her up
a level. Her serves and overhead game have greatly improved. She’s
getting a lot more pace on the ball. About all that’s left is to
work on her tactical game.”
Unzicker – who will split time with
the soccer team – will hold the No. 1 singles spot for the Fighting
Scots and the sophomore could be considered a serious contender for
another league title.
Junior Kimi Wegner (Dixon,
Ill./Dixon) could move from No. 3 a year ago into the No. 2 spot.
She will likely team again with Unzicker at No. 1 doubles. The duo
finished an impressive 15-6 last season, falling in a three-set
heartbreaker in the conference semifinals.
“Kimi is a good all-around player,”
reported Montgomery. “Like Amy, she has been working on her service
game. She’s a hard worker and will continue to improve.”
Montgomery feels three newcomers and
a slate of returners will bolster the Scots lineup. “Surprising”
freshman Nicole Anson (Greeley, Colo./Central) is expected to
push Wegner for the No. 2 spot. Anson had intended to attend another
institution, but decided on Monmouth after an impromptu visit last
fall.
“We’re glad she made a visit and
fell in love with the college,” said Montgomery “She’s not very big
and has a very unassuming appearance, but she has tremendous ground
strokes. She’ll be a valuable addition.”
The No. 4 and 5 singles spots could
be filled by freshmen Ashley Reynoso (Burbank, Ill./Reavis)
and Kiah Henry (Plainfield, Ill./Hillcrest). Reynoso will
have a busy fall, splitting time between tennis and soccer, but
she’ll be mentored in that department by the dual-sport Unzicker.
“Ashley is a very good athlete and
has excellent quickness, which serves her well in both sports,”
claimed Montgomery. “She has very good ground strokes and may be the
best volleyer on the team. Kiah has a lot of raw talent. She has a
world of potential and could be a year away from really developing.”
Seniors Sarah McLinden
(Chicago, Ill./Queen of Peace) and Rachel Bognar (Kewanee,
Ill./Kewanee) saw action last season and could battle it out for the
No. 6 spot. Rounding out the roster are senior Kayla Seyller
(Somonauk, Ill./Geneseo) and sophomore Julie Battcher
(Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield).
In doubles, only the No. 1 tandem of
Unzicker and Wegner is set, and even that could change.
“We’ll search for the right doubles
combinations as we enter the season,” explained Montgomery. “There
are so many variables to forming a successful doubles combination
that we’ll take our time to put the best possible combination out
there. That should come together in a few weeks.”
Once the conference season rolls
around, Montgomery is hoping the two months of hard work will pay
off.
“We’d like to finish at least as
high as we did last year,” said Montgomery of the team’s third place
performance. “In order to do that, we’ll need some of the freshmen
to step up and contribute. We have some big shoes to fill in the
upper half of the lineup with the loss of (graduated seniors) Cassie
(Frantz) and Brittany (Donnelly).”
While it may be impossible to
duplicate the success of the Scots’ career leaders in wins,
Montgomery feels with the team’s depth in 2009, the lower half of
the lineup may be a bit stronger than in the past. That, he says,
just may be the key Monmouth’s success when the conference
tournament rolls around.
“We may not be as dominant in a
couple of spots,” claimed Montgomery. “But we should be competitive
at all positions.”
The Scots just hope they’re in
position to challenge for a conference crown in October.
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