Bucknell University Athletics
Bison Women's Tennis Opens 2002 Spring Season at Colgate This Weekend
2/22/2002 7:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Feb. 22, 2002
LEWISBURG, Pa. - A strong freshman class has transformed the Bucknell University women's tennis teams into one of the top young squads in the Patriot League.
After a 3-0 fall campaign in which several rookies made a profound impact on the program, fifth-year head coach Rebecca Helt is excited to get the 2002 spring season underway.
"A lot of the younger players had a great fall season, which really solidified our singles game," said Helt. "I feel that if we can put the right doubles teams together, we should have a strong chance of making a run at the Patriot League title."
Bucknell was picked to finish fifth in the Patriot League pre-season poll this year after earning the No. 4 seed in last year's league tournament. After a change in the league's tournament format, the Bison will need to finish as one of the top four teams in the league once again in order to qualify for post-season play.
Last year, every team qualified for the Patriot League tournament, with the top two teams receiving byes. This year, only the four teams with the best league record will be admitted into the league tournament.
Although the Bison return five athletes who saw significant playing time last spring, Helt expects to depend heavily on her freshman class in 2002. She will likely turn to freshmen Nadezda Curcic (Serbia/3rd Belgrade) and Ashley Diers (Cincinnati, Ohio/Cincinnati Country Day) to lead the way at No. 1 singles position.
Curcic and Diers showed tremendous potential in the 2001 fall season when they shared playing time at the top singles slot. Curcic finished the fall season 5-4 at No. 1 singles, and Diers won seven of nine singles matches while splitting her time at first and second singles. The pair of rookies finished the season with a 5-2 mark at No. 1 doubles.
Junior Jill Wurzburg (Winnetka, Ill./New Trier), returning from studying abroad in the fall season, gives Bucknell an experienced veteran at first singles. She competed in 18 of the team's 21 matches at No. 1 singles last spring. In doubles play, Wurzburg finished the season 6-7, including an even 5-5 mark at third doubles.
Helt will also look to senior captain Kristin Inglis (Huntington, N.Y./Saint Anthony) and sophomore Samantha Berthod (White Plains, N.Y./Ursuline Academy) for production at the top of the lineup. Inglis served as the team's primary No. 2 singles player last spring and finished the season 4-11. For her career, she has racked up 37 total wins in singles and doubles competition.
Berthod enjoyed a solid fall campaign, going 5-4 at second and third singles. She also teamed up with Inglis to go 2-4 at No. 2 doubles. She won six singles matches last spring while splitting her time at the No. 2-4 spots.
Junior Laura Maisel (Princeton, N.J./Hun School) will provide Bucknell with additional talent and experience. Maisel enjoyed an outstanding spring season in 2001, finishing 12-5 at the No. 3-5 singles positions. She also went 9-6 in doubles play, mostly at the No. 3 slot. For her career, Maisel is 18-14 in singles play and 17-15 at doubles and is tied for 26th all-time in career dual match victories.
Sophomore Kristen Pugno (Montclair, N.J./Montclair Kimberley Academy) and freshman Tanya Sichko (Boulder, Colo./Fairview) will add depth at the No. 3-6 positions this spring. Sichko started her collegiate career with a bang during the fall, winning her first eight matches at the No. 3, 4 and 5 spots. Her only loss of the season occurred at the Patriot League individual championships, and she finished the season with a sparkling 8-1 record. She also went 5-2 No. 3 doubles with Pugno, who finished 3-6 at the No. 3-6 singles positions during the fall.
Other Bison that could contribute include junior Morgan Lloyd (Princeton, N.J./Stuart Country Day), and freshmen Megan Evanoka (Amhurst, N.Y./Williamsville East), Jill Merselis (Wayland, Mass./Wayland), Jen Perrin (Boswell, Pa./Somerset), Dana Pratt (Orinda, Calif./Miramonte) and Margaret Williams (Charlottesville, Va./St. Anne's Belfield).
Although Lloyd has seen limited playing time, she has made her mark as one of the team's strongest leaders. Evanoka, a graduate of Williamsville East High School (N.Y.) has made great improvements in her game since joining the team as a walk-on in the fall. Merselis won 10 letters in five different sports at Wayland (Mass.), and adds tremendous athleticism to the Bucknell lineup.
Perrin is another multi-talented athlete who was a three-sport star at Somerset (Pa.) H.S. This winter, she made Bucknell history by becoming the first female wrestler in school history. Pratt, twice named as a first-team all league selection at Miramonte (Calif.) and Williams, a team MVP at St. Anne's-Belfield (Va.) will also vie for playing time.
The Bison play their season-opening match on Feb. 23, when they travel to Hamilton, N.Y. to face Patriot League rival Colgate University. From March 9-17, Bucknell will embark on its annual Spring Break trip to Hilton Head, S.C., where the team will take on five very challenging competitors in Radford, Indiana State, Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne, George Mason and Southern Mississippi.
Bucknell makes its home debut on March 22 when it faces the University of Pittsburgh in the first of four straight home matches. The Bison will also host St. Bonaventure, Mount St. Mary's and West Virginia on March 23, 24 and 27, respectively.
On March 31, the Bison will travel to Washington, D.C. to face first-year Patriot League member American University. The team's biggest five days of the regular season, however, will take place on April 7-11, when Bucknell hosts three straight Patriot League matches against Army, Lehigh and Lafayette. Depending on the outcome of those three matches, the Bison will hopefully find themselves making a return trip to Colgate for the 2002 Patriot League Championship on April 20-21.
