Women's Tennis Season Preview

STATESBORO, Ga. – Tennis tends to be an individual sport, but at the collegiate level it takes the effort of each and every member to earn a match victory. Success in team sports is determined by the cohesion and dynamics of the group and this year’s Georgia Southern women’s tennis squad possesses the unity that all teams need to reach the summit.

With just under 24 hours before the Lady Eagles open the 2008 season at home against No. 70 Jacksonville University, the expectations remain high for head coach Amy Bonner and the rest of Eagle Land.

The Eagles return eight letter winners from last year’s squad and add two newcomers to this season’s roster. Additionally, much of this year’s team has been together for several years now and is ready to start reaping the rewards from all their hard work. The cohesion of this year’s unit is like no other in the four years that Bonner has been at the helm of the Eagles program.

“A team with this much team chemistry is bound to do great things,” said Bonner. “This team loves competition but most off all they don't want to let their teammates down. I think this aspect of our team will really benefit us in competition."

The bulk of the team’s leadership this season comes from its upperclassman. Lone senior Kelli Helms (Cairo, Ga.), and junior captains Shea Huxtable (Winter Springs, Fla.) and Jessica Matlosz (Alpharetta, Ga.) bring a lot of great qualities that coaches love about their athletes. Helms claimed the C-3 singles title at the Southern Intercollegiate Championships in October. Two other juniors, Emma Knight and Molly Maddox (Rome, Ga.) are constantly impressing Bonner with their actions.

“My upperclassmen are great leaders and great role models both on and off the court,” said Bonner. “I have already seen this at work this fall. My upperclassmen are really good at encouraging the rest of the squad, and their enthusiasm is contagious.”

Last season under Bonner, the Eagles posted an 8-11 record to go along with a 4-5 mark in the Southern Conference. With the chemistry and experience that the 2008 team enjoys it’s apparent why Coach Bonner is excited to hit the hard-court on Wednesday afternoon.

“I am most looking forward to seeing how my team competes now that I have five upperclassmen,” said Bonner. “We have gained a lot of valuable experience with at least two spring seasons behind us as well as coming off a strong fall season.”

GSU enjoyed success from three freshmen last season, which will definitely add to their overall depth this season. Kristi Kegerreis (Fairfax, Va.), Jessica Fuller (Cartersville, Ga.) and Christine Caforio (Acworth, Ga.) all had solid seasons, which will be looked upon to contribute to the consistency of this year’s squad.

Kegerreis recorded a 10-7 overall record and a 5-4 conference mark from the No. 2 singles slot. She teamed with fellow Virginian Heather Reynolds in doubles posting a 10-7 record and an impressive 6-3 record in SoCon matches. Equally as impressive was the play of Fuller and Caforio. Fuller reeled off five consecutive victories in singles attaining a 5-1 overall record. Caforio was versatile playing in the No. 3-6 slots tallying three victories in singles and five in doubles.

Huxtable was third on the team a season ago notching eight wins in singles matches. She also posted a winning percentage of .500 with Matlosz as her doubles partner. Matlosz, the ultimate team player, competed in all doubles matches a year ago compiling six victories with four different partners during the season.

Knight contributed to GSU’s success tallying nine victories, which was the second most by an Eagle last season. The Duluth, Ga. native went 5-3 during her last eight matches of the season. Maddox added three victories last year for Georgia Southern.

GSU’s two newcomers, Ali Beavers (Kingsport, Tenn.) and Melanie Rolle (Gainesville, Fla.) gained valuable playing experience this past fall and both had success, which should translate into a solid freshman campaign.

“Ali and Melanie bring a lot of talent and depth to this team,” said Bonner. “I expect that they will give 110 percent this spring, since that is what I've seen out of them this fall. I'm excited about seeing them compete for their first spring season and lay a foundation for their college career.”

The ultimate goal of every team is to win. It’s not going to be easy, but through hard work, cohesion and leadership, this year’s tennis season should be an exciting one.

The women’s tennis season opens tomorrow, January 30, at the Hanner Tennis Complex. Match play is scheduled to begin at 2:30 p.m.

Category: Women's Tennis

Published on Tuesday, 29 January 2008 00:15