Spring Season Preview
January 20, 2005 07:01 PM | General
 Lyskawa |
 Walsh |
By Jarrod Sudduth for MSNsportsNET.com
January 20, 2005
Whenever a team boasts more newcomers than returners, the head coach normally faces the prospect of a rebuilding season. In the case of Dan Silverstein and the WVU women’s tennis team, however, this generality is far from the truth.
West Virginia, who posted a 10-9 record in 2004 with eight players, will tackle the 2005 season with eleven athletes on its roster. WVU welcomes a total of seven newcomers to a team that returns only three players who played during the 2004 season. Despite its youth, Silverstein believes that the 2005 squad is the best he’s had since his arrival in 2001.
“I think that this team has a chance to be extremely good,” he says. “By the end of the year, this group has the potential to be ranked in the top 50 nationally and contend for a BIG EAST championship.”
In order to taste any ounce of success, a team must have strong peer leadership. The Mountaineers will be led by three veteran captains in sophomores Catherine Koontz, Ashley Constantine and Kelly Walsh.
“Our captains have done an outstanding job of getting this team to join as one,” Silverstein says. “The chemistry that we have developed as a unit is remarkable.”
Silverstein’s lofty expectations can be explained by his unit’s newfound depth. WVU returns the services of junior Raynie Theis, Constantine, Walsh and Koontz, who missed the entire 2004 spring season with a knee injury.
The success or failure of the team, however, may ride on the shoulders of seven newcomers who come to West Virginia with a great deal of responsibility on their shoulders.
Monica Lyskawa, Natalia Prinz, Stacey Percival and Kate Williams were original members of Silverstein’s 2004-05 recruiting class that came to WVU in August. Kathryn Gerber, Colleen Speaker and Johanna Dorsey were recently admitted to the university and joined the team in January.
“The three late additions to our team couldn’t have come at a better time for us,” Silverstein says. “This is the first time in my four years here that we have had depth. We have three or four girls who aren’t in our lineup right now that are legitimate six seeds. If someone is unable to go, we can bring in another player and never skip a beat.”
The Mountaineer starting lineup is completely revamped from a year ago. When West Virginia enters its season opening contest against Cincinnati, the Mountaineers will boast four newcomers in its starting lineup. Lyskawa mans the top seeded position while Prinz plays at No. 2, Walsh at No. 3, Gerber at No. 4, Theis at No. 5 and Percival at the No. 6 spot.
On the doubles side, the duo of Theis and Percival will play the one seed, Walsh and Prinz the two seed and Gerber and Lyskawa the three seed.
“The girls really battled throughout the fall for their spots in the lineup,” Silverstein says. “This is an extremely competitive group that will compete and deliver in every single match.”
The Mountaineers must play their season-opening match on Jan. 21 against Cincinnati in Huntington. The match, originally scheduled to be played in Morgantown, was rescheduled because of Cincinnati’s prior commitment to play Marshall and Pitt in Huntington in the days following the match.
After their match with the Bearcats, the Mountaineers travel to take on No. 28 William and Mary on Jan. 30. The following weekend, West Virginia travels to Richmond, Va., to play Campbell, VCU and East Carolina at the VCU Invitational. WVU then plays seven more non-conference matches before it opens conference play on Mar. 25 against Connecticut in Syracuse, N.Y. The Mountaineers take on the Orange the following day and travel to Queens, N.Y. for a Mar. 31 match against St. John’s.
West Virginia then comes home to host its final five BIG EAST matches against Seton Hall (April 2), Rutgers (April 3), Georgetown (April 9), Pitt (April 14) and Villanova (April 16). The Mountaineers squeeze in two non-conference matches against Duquesne (April 8) and at UMBC (April 19) after opening conference play.
“The opening stretch of the season is crucial because of the number of away matches we are playing,” Silverstein says. “If we can enter the home stretch at the end of the year with a solid record, we will be in good shape.
“We only play two true conference road matches and our match with UConn is on a neutral court,” he continues. “Having five home matches compared to just two road matches in the conference gives us a great opportunity to post a strong BIG EAST record.”
As West Virginia makes its push for national prominence, each player must contribute in their own manner. Whether it is a match-deciding point, redundant practice drill or support of a teammate off the court, every player must fill a niche.
“The whole is always greater than the sum of the parts,” Silverstein says. “All eleven of these girls are integral factors in the development of this program. Each of them needs to be ready to contribute at any time.”
