Women's Tennis: WVU Prepares for Season Debut
January 20, 2005 06:28 PM | General
By Jarrod Sudduth for MSNsportsNET.com
January 20, 2005
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University women’s tennis team opens the 2005 season on Friday, Jan. 21, with a 2:30 p.m. match against Cincinnati at the Huntington Tennis Club in Huntington, W.Va.
The Mountaineers are coming off a 10-9 record in 2004, their second consecutive winning season under head coach Dan Silverstein. The Pittsburgh native enters his fourth year at the helm of the program after taking over for legendary coach Martha Thorn.
The last time WVU posted back to back winning campaigns was in 1997-98 when it finished with identical 13-10 records. West Virginia will look to post its third straight winning season for the first time since 1989-91 when the Mountaineers posted records of 15-13, 21-10 and 16-6 respectively.
West Virginia returns four letterwinners in junior Raynie Theis and sophomores Ashley Constantine, Catherine Koontz and Kelly Walsh. Seven newcomers will grace the flying WV for the first time in 2005, led by top seed Monica Lyskawa, second seed Natalia Prinz, fourth seed Kathryn Gerber and sixth seed Stacey Percival. Quinnipiac transfer Johanna Dorsey, Villanova transfer Colleen Speaker and Kate Williams round out West Virginia’s 2005 freshman class.
Friday’s contest will also serve as Cincinnati’s opening match of the season. The Bearcats, entering their final season in Conference USA, are looking to rebound this year after a 7-15 campaign under then first-year head coach Kimberly Jones.
West Virginia enters Friday’s contest looking to avenge an upset loss to Cincinnati a year ago. The Bearcats defeated the Mountaineers on Mar. 6, by a score of 4-3, at the Five Seasons Country Club in Cincinnati.
