Devils ready to pick up where they left off
Sports Information Department – 112 Dods Hall
Phone (716) 673-3100 / Fax (716) 673-3136
CONTACT: Jerry Reilly,
Sports Information Director
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Women's tennis
FREDONIA, N.Y. -- After ending the 2009 season with a three-match winning streak, the Fredonia State Blue Devils women’s tennis team enters the 2010 with lots of momentum and high aspirations. Coach Joe Calarco leads the way for the Devils for the 11th consecutive season.
The team comes into the season after losing their two senior captains, Mallory Long and Megan Zarzycki to graduation. This year’s squad is dominated by upperclassmen, returning seven seniors, four of which are starters. Anna Norris (Binghamton/Susquehanna Valley) comes into the season as the No. 1 singles player with Calee Prindle (Geneva/ Geneva) as the No. 2. Chelsea Mang (Lancaster/ Depew), Abby Busch (Elmira/Thomas A. Edison), Jennifer Garwol (Rochester/ Spencerport), Stephanie Hale (Lockport/Starpoint), and Tara Slowik (Hamburg/Frontier) round out the remaining senior class.
With the addition of three promising newcomers, Molly Zanetti (Saratoga Springs/Saratoga Springs), Alison Phillips (Orchard Park/Orchard Park), and Jessica Johnston (Fredonia/Fredonia) and the leadership of the returning upperclassmen, Calarco is expecting to improve on last year’s 4-6 record and 2-5 record in SUNYAC play. “We’ve got a great mix of veterans and newcomers” he said. “We’re hoping to surprise some teams this year.”
Calarco has always stressed academics to his players throughout the years, and it clearly showed last season as the women’s tennis team achieved the highest GPA among all Blue Devils’ athletic teams. “Classes are really important to us” he added.
One change to this year's SUNYAC play that Calarco hopes to take advantage of is the pool-play weekend Sept. 10-11-12 on the Steele Hall courts. Oswego, Geneseo and Brockport come to visit.
The Devils open up their season Friday with a home match against SUNY Oneonta at 4 p.m.