Women's tennis season starts tomorrow at W&M

By Jennifer Hoffman

Collegian Staff

Last year's top six women's tennis players will return to the court this season with three promising freshmen, creating an intricate web of experience and new talent for the Spiders' competitors.

"The team will be a level up from where we were last year," head coach Mark Wesselink said. The top six have each improved and the three freshmen -- Helen Cunningham, Catherine Crystal and Joanna Matuszczyk --will be a strong addition, Wesselink said.

Beyond physical fitness, mental toughness will be the key to success this year, said Xenia Schneider, a returning senior from Germany. The Spiders' loss against Temple University during the semi-finals at last year's Atlantic 10 tournament took a mental toll on the team, she said.

Wesselink is reviving these strengths with daily 7 a.m. runs, a new addition to practice and weightlifting this year.

"The work ethic is going to be stronger this year," Wesselink said. "With only seven players last year, we had to be careful about injuries, and this year we have nine. We can really push ourselves a little harder, and we have been so far."

Team captain Pamela Duran said team success was measured by the players' ability to support and motivate one another. She said she hoped to relay her knowledge to younger players to preserve the team ethic.

After winning 11 out of 19 matches as the Spiders' No. 1 singles competitor last year, Duran earned a spot on Virginia Sports Information Directors' All-State Second Team as well as the A-10 All-Conference First Team for the third-straight year. In 2007, she was named the A-10's Most Outstanding Performer after a record of 11-7 as the No. 1 women's singles player, according to the Sports Information Web site.

"My main goal is to get to the NCAA singles tournament and to win the A-10's with the team," Duran said.

Schneider said the A-10 tournament was within the team's reach this year.

"I think we could be in the top 40 or 50 in the country," she said, "but we don't have enough opportunities to play ranked teams."

But this weekend, the Spiders will face many schools ranked in the top 20 in the country during a tournament at the College of William and Mary.

"It will set the standard for the competition level, and it will be a good experience for the freshmen," Schneider said. "And it's our first team bonding experience."

Duran said she hoped the tournament would help the freshmen release their nervousness and boost their confidence.

The team -- composed of three freshmen, two sophomores, junior Erin Clark, who finished at No. 2 last spring, and returning seniors Ashlee Vosters, Duran and Schneider --is strong from top to bottom, Wesselink said.

Contact staff writer at jennifer.hoffman@richmond.edu