Schunk leads an impressive frosh class that the team will rely on heavily. Both Alison Rovner and Tarsah Dale join Schunk as frosh in the top four singles. These new recruits were badly needed as the team graduated three seniors from last year who played in the top six. "We lost some great players," said Stacia Poulos ’00. "With the returning players being more experienced and the new girls stepping in, we shouldn’t fall off and we could even improve." If the team does improve over last year’s mark, the season will be a memorable one. The 1997 squad finished third in the NESCAC, a division which boasts three of the top 10 teams in the nation in Williams, Amherst and Trinity. "We’ve got the talent to beat both Amherst and Williams," claimed senior captain Claudia Makadon. "Last year we sort of psyched ourselves out when we played them, but hopefully we’ll be able to get at least one this year." While the team does not have a bona fide superstar as of yet, they should be able to do damage with their top four singles players. "Our top four are pretty much equal," Long said. "I will rotate them frequently because they all have great talent and can hang with anyone." Poulos will join the three frosh in rounding out the top four. "The team is really deep this year, and everyone gets along great," she remarked. "We’ve really got a great bunch of girls and we have a lot of fun." "Every time we step onto the court, whether in practice or in a game, we give it our all," said Makadon proudly. As shown in the rout of Vassar, this team is for real. Barring any unexpected setbacks they seem ready to challenge Williams and Amherst in what could turn into a very special season for Wesleyan women’s tennis. |
