Women's Tennis: WVU Begins 2011 Spring Season
January 21, 2011 11:26 AM | General
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University tennis team will begin its spring season on January 22-24, as it travels to Kentucky to compete in three-consecutive matches against Bowling Green, Louisville and Morehead State.
“Spring competition is very different than the fall,” says coach Tina Samara. “They have been working hard and hopefully this will bring more confidence when they compete. I am looking forward to seeing how they compete as a team.”
The Mountaineers will launch their weekend at the Bass-Rudd Tennis Center in Louisville, Ky., where they will go up against the Falcons on Saturday at 10 a.m., followed by a 9 a.m. match against the Cardinals on Sunday.
WVU will continue action on Monday, as the team travels to Morehead, Ky., to compete against the Eagles at 11 a.m., at Sadler Courts.
“I really don't spend much time looking at the opposing teams or lineups, not having coached in the BIG EAST before,” adds Samara. “I am not familiar with any of these programs, but I feel that if we take care of our own business, we will be successful.”
The Mountaineers return five athletes this season, including WVU’s lone senior Ashley Pilsbury, who captured the most wins (30) during the 2010 season. Juniors Veronica Cardenas and Catie Wickline, along with sophomores Emily Mathis and Liv Pettersson are also returning for the 2010-11 season.
WVU added three newcomers to the squad, including freshmen Mary Chupa, Anna Rodionova and Melis Tanik, who led the Mountaineers in the 2010 ITA Regional Championships.
“In the fall, we never had the whole team healthy or practicing together,” says Samara. “When I got here, their class schedules never allowed the whole team to practice together on a daily basis and I felt it was a huge problem, so we moved practices to 6:30 a.m., for the spring season.
“It is vital to have the team practicing together if you expect them to compete together during matches. In the short time we have been doing this, we are already seeing the benefits.”
“Spring competition is very different than the fall,” says coach Tina Samara. “They have been working hard and hopefully this will bring more confidence when they compete. I am looking forward to seeing how they compete as a team.”
The Mountaineers will launch their weekend at the Bass-Rudd Tennis Center in Louisville, Ky., where they will go up against the Falcons on Saturday at 10 a.m., followed by a 9 a.m. match against the Cardinals on Sunday.
WVU will continue action on Monday, as the team travels to Morehead, Ky., to compete against the Eagles at 11 a.m., at Sadler Courts.
“I really don't spend much time looking at the opposing teams or lineups, not having coached in the BIG EAST before,” adds Samara. “I am not familiar with any of these programs, but I feel that if we take care of our own business, we will be successful.”
The Mountaineers return five athletes this season, including WVU’s lone senior Ashley Pilsbury, who captured the most wins (30) during the 2010 season. Juniors Veronica Cardenas and Catie Wickline, along with sophomores Emily Mathis and Liv Pettersson are also returning for the 2010-11 season.
WVU added three newcomers to the squad, including freshmen Mary Chupa, Anna Rodionova and Melis Tanik, who led the Mountaineers in the 2010 ITA Regional Championships.
“In the fall, we never had the whole team healthy or practicing together,” says Samara. “When I got here, their class schedules never allowed the whole team to practice together on a daily basis and I felt it was a huge problem, so we moved practices to 6:30 a.m., for the spring season.
“It is vital to have the team practicing together if you expect them to compete together during matches. In the short time we have been doing this, we are already seeing the benefits.”
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