Bucknell University Athletics
Women's Tennis Team Looks to Ride Momentum into Season-Opener
2/9/2001 7:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Feb. 9, 2001
LEWISBURG, Pa. - The 2001 campaign could be an exciting season for the Bucknell women's tennis team. Coach Rebecca Helt has a strong team returning from last year's 5-10 team, having lost only two letter winners from her squad in the fall.
The strength of the team will come from the experience and leadership of its two captains. Juniors Kristin Inglis (Huntington, N.Y./Saint Anthony) and Kary Wolford (Warminster, Pa./George School) will represent the women's tennis team this spring as its captains. While these two individuals have already established themselves as tennis players, they will be called upon by Coach Helt to do much more than play tennis. They will be the vocal leaders of a very young Bucknell women's tennis team. The team, while small in numbers with only 12 on the roster, will use its youth and competitive spirit to overcome opponents who are rich in experience. Added incentive for success comes from last year's upset of higher seed Lehigh in the Patriot League tournament. The Bison went into the tournament as the fifth seed and were able to overcome the odds and defeat Lehigh.
"It was one of those endings to a really difficult season that every coach dreams of," said Helt. "We didn't win the championship, but we did something bigger. After losing three starters in the first two weeks of the spring season, all odds seemed against us. We will use this victory and the fact that four of the six starters will be returning to the courts this season as a positive step towards improving in the 2001 season."
The four returning starters for the Bison are Inglis and Wolford, and sophomores Laura Maisel (Princeton, N.J./Hun School) and Jill Wurzburg (Winnetka, Ill./New Trier). Also returning to the lineup this year after a year off is senior Beth Wurzburg (Winnetka, Ill./New Trier). While Wolford rehabs an injured rotator cuff, Inglis, Maisel, Jill Wurzburg and Beth Wurzburg will solidify a starting six that only requires two more quality tennis players to complete it.
Those two players are freshman Samantha Berthod (White Plains, N.Y./Ursuline Academy) and Alyssa Bishop (Knoxville, Tenn./Webb School of Knoxville). They will complete the lineup at numbers three and four singles, respectively, as well as team up for doubles. The two played number one doubles in the fall and represented Bucknell in the ITA Regional Championships.
The two junior captains, Inglis and Wolford, will most likely move about the lineup to where ever Coach Helt feels they will benefit the team the most. They are very dynamic tennis players and have gained the experience that will allow them to be confident and aggressive on the courts. Inglis, while already a very accomplished doubles player having been selected to the Patriot League doubles team in 2000 with an 8-11 record, will be asked by her coach to expand a little further and become a dominant singles player as well.
Beth Wurzburg, the only senior on the squad, returns to the lineup as an experienced doubles player. She will lead the doubles lineup with Inglis, as well as round out the singles slate at number six.
Coach Helt will have a strong group of individuals in the sophomore class returning for the season. Maisel and Wurzburg are the returnees in the class who have experience at the varsity level. Maisel, 3-1 at number six singles, was named the team's most valuable player at the end of last season and will be a potent weapon for Coach Helt again this season. Her classmate, Wurzburg, is a talented singles player who, as a freshman, was playing in the number two slot.
The remaining members of the sophomore class are Morgan Lloyd (Princeton, N.J./Stuart Country Day), and newcomer Suzanne Van Hulle (Thonex, Switzerland/International School of Geneva). Lloyd posted a 1-0 record in her only singles match last season, participating at the sixth flight.
Other freshmen joining the squad are Kristen Pugno (Montclair, N.J./Montclair Kimberley Academy), who will play doubles in the starting lineup, and Sarah Downing (Fayetteville, N.Y./Fayetteville-Manlius).
The 2001 schedule includes the match ups against Patriot League teams Colgate, Lafayette, Lehigh and Army. The women's tennis team will be the host of the Patriot League Tournament at the end of April. The Bison hope to continue with last year's good fortune and proceed even further in the tournament.
The road to the championship starts in early February. The Orange and Blue officially start their season on Saturday, February 10, with a trip to The College of New Jersey Invitational.
