By Brian Roe, Sports Writer
Not all is lost for the women’s tennis team.
After losing for the second straight year to BYU-Hawaii at the NCAA Division II women’s tennis championships and after losing three All-American seniors from its roster, one would think loss would linger.
Think again.
The Wildcats revamped its roster adding three hard-hitting freshmen including California standout Alison Tetrick. Also, the team renewed its spirit by pushing themselves all summer to get better.
Getting better is something head tennis coach Hutton Jones thinks is possible, but he admits losing Lacy Johnson, Kristin Chumley and Sarah Taweel hasn’t been easy.
“I don’t care how you look at it, anytime you lose three All-Americans from your starting lineup in any sport you will need some adjustment,” Jones said. “Those three girls stepped in and made an impact since day one. Losing them is tough, but I believe we brought in the talent to not rebuild this team but reload it.”
The reloaded team has a different look than last year, as well. While the team carried three seniors in 2002-03, this season no seniors remain.
“I have total faith that we have the talent to fill that void,” Jones said. “I have four juniors who are now seasoned players.”
Despite no seniors, Jones said depth is plentiful on the women’s roster. For the fall season, nine players will compete for six roster spots.
“I think we are in a unique situation where our team is as balanced as it has ever been,” he said.
John Taylor, the new assistant coach for both the men’s and women’s tennis teams, said the team is not only balanced but also hard working.
“From what I have seen, we have a team that is hard working and very physically fit,” Taylor said. “They are all in good physical condition because the players all have strong work ethics.”
A strong work ethic is a must for this team, freshman Lana Pavlin said.
“Coaches are really tough on fitness,” said Pavlin, who is out with a hand injury sustained during Welcome Week. “That’s been a big difference between high school tennis and college tennis; our coach is really big on fitness.”
Junior Summer Beesley said hard work has paid off and will continue to pay off.
“We just have to keep working hard and keep trying to improve,” Beesley said. “We want the juniors to take the leadership role and be a competitive team like we were last year.”
The women will begin play Friday with ACU’s annual Wal-Mart Open.
