DULUTH, Minn. (csssaints.com) – The St. Scholastica women's tennis team will open its season Friday night when it takes on city rival University of Minnesota Duluth at the Arrowhead Tennis Center.
Match Schedule:
Friday vs. UMD – 7 p.m. (Arrowhead Tennis Center)
Saturday at Hamline – 2:30 p.m. (Baseline Tennis Center)
Saturday at Bethel – 7 p.m. (Baseline Tennis Center)
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St. Scholastica Saints
2013 Record: 21-5, 10-0 UMAC
Head Coach: Wells Patten |
- The Saints had very little trouble winning its 17th straight UMAC regular season and tournament championship last season.
-The 21 wins were the third-most in program history. The team also finished on an 11-match win streak, the third-longest in program history.
-CSS set a program record for best singles winning percentage in a season (.781).
-The Saints had a league-high five players named to the all-conference first team, however, for the first time since the 2003 season a CSS player was not named the UMAC Player of the Year.
-However, unlike previous seasons, the Saints will have a lot of new faces in its lineup this year.
-CSS will be without three of its top four players from a season ago. The Saints lost graduated senior
Megan Lawrence (Park Rapids, Minn./Park Rapids HS), who finished with the program's best career singles winning percentage (.842).
-CSS also saw the unexpected departure of top singles player
Hillary Bungarden (Hibbing, Minn./Hibbing HS) and No. 2 player
Rachael Zwiener (St. Cloud, Minn./Home School). Bungarden ended her career just five singles wins shy of the most victories in program history.
-The Saints do return junior
Alexis Gunderson (Virginia, Minn./Virginia HS), who is a two-time All-UMAC selection. She is the only All-UMAC performer back from last season.
-Head Coach
Wells Patten will hope
Alexa Herbst (Foley, Minn. /Foley HS),
Aleksandra Ochrymowicz (Winnipeg, Manitoba/St. Mary’s Academy) and
Katie Kingston (Virginia, Minn./Virginia HS) step up their games this season. In addition, the Saints will look for newcomers
Jessica Solberg (Bemidji, Minn. /Bemidji HS) and
Madeleine Scanlan (St. Albans, England /Loreto College) to step right in.
-Senior
Pamela Hartley (Lima, Peru/Franklin Roosevelt College) also returns to the Saints, after spending last season at Walsh University (Ohio).
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University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs
2013 Record: 3-10, 3-8 NSIC
Head Coach: Bob Skenzich |
-The Bulldogs bring back five of its six singles players from last season.
-Junior Alyssa Brunelli finished 3-10 at No. 1 singles last year.
-Brunelli teamed with Kara Saemann to also finish 3-10 at No. 1 doubles.
Series History: (CSS is 5-8 vs. Minnesota-Duluth)
-The Saints have won the last five meetings against the Bulldogs, including a 9-0 win last season. |
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Hamline University Pipers
2013 Record: 4-12, 1-9 MIAC
Head Coach: Jon Henning |
-The Pipers will open the season Friday night against the University of Northwestern before playing the Saints on Saturday.
-Top singles player Carissa Wallerich returns for her senior season. Wallerich was 2-12 at the No. 1 spot last season.
-Cassie Rammage also returns after going 4-12 at the No. 2 spot in 2013.
-Two of their four wins a season ago came against UMAC opponents.
Series History: (CSS is 9-1 vs. Hamline)
-The Saints have won nine straight against Hamline, including a 9-0 win last season. |
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Bethel University Royals
Record: 9-9, 4-5 MIAC
Head Coach: Drew Fernelius |
-The Royals made their first appearance in the MIAC playoffs last season.
-Abby Edin returns for her senior season after finishing 7-9 at the No. 1 singles spot last year.
-Senior Amanda Johnson won her final three singles matches of the season in 2013.
-The Royals ended the regular season on a three-match winning streak before being eliminated by Gustavus Adolphus in the first round of the MIAC playoffs.
Series History: (CSS is 5-5 vs. Bethel)
-The Royals defeated the Saints last year 6-3. Prior to that, CSS had won four straight. |
