Converse Tennis Places Two on CVAC Player to Watch List
Thomasville, N.C.— Erskine College has maintained the top spot in the preseason poll as voted on by league head coaches for the second consecutive season. The Fleet have also earned their second consecutive preseason national ranking on the Division II ITA poll coming in at No. 33. The team finished the 2006 campaign with a 21-4 record and finished the conference slate undefeated (13-0) for the second-straight season. Erskine has posted an overall conference record of 25-0 the past two seasons, and has won both the regular-season title and tournament championships in both the 2005 and 2006 campaigns. Erskine returns a core of players including last year’s player of the year, Jennifer Gennaoui, along with conference 2nd teamer Ellen Dawson, honorable mention team member Kacie Knox, and all-tournament team members Jenna Tudor and Julie Mages.
The Limestone College women’s tennis team had one of the best seasons since joining NCAA Division II last year, as the squad earned its first national ranking and highest finish ever in the CVAC. The Lady Saints had a 19-9 overall record and a nearly perfect 9-1 CVAC record to finish No. 2 in the conference standings. Limestone had a terrific run in the conference tournament as the women advanced to the championship match where they fell to the defending CVAC Champion, No. 24th ranked Erskine College.
All-CVAC honorees Jennifer Snaider and Alexandra Gade are back, as well as CVAC-All-Tournament team member Lee Cribb. The Saints had a successful fall, competing at the ITA Regional and the CVAC Individual tournament. The Saints are the only other nationally ranked CVAC team, at No. 38 in the Fila Intercollegiate Tennis Association preseason rankings heading into the spring season.
Mount Olive College returns four starters from last year’s squad, which posted its best regular season conference finish in school history, placing third in the 2006 CVAC standings (14-10, 8-2 CVAC). It also marks the beginning of a new era for Mount Olive women’s tennis with the graduation of four-time All-CVAC selections Lucia Henkle and Mariana Shimoda. Henkle and Shimoda became the only teammates in any sport in Mount Olive athletics history to earn All-CVAC honors in four consecutive years.
The Trojans now turn to Sophomore Carol Aro, who played No. 1 doubles and alternated between No. 2 and No. 3 singles last year, to make the move up to No. 1 singles for the Trojans this season. Senior Lauren Harris has proven herself as a “go to” player for the Trojans, having won the deciding match in a number of 5-4 contests during her career. During the fall, Harris combined with freshman Kristen Jones to win a doubles title at the CVAC Fall Individual Championships.
Rounding out the Coaches Preseason Poll 4-12 are: Pfeiffer & Queens (tied 4th), Barton, Coker, Anderson, Converse, St. Andrews, and Lees-McRae respectively.
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