MSU Women's Tennis Heads To ITA Midwest Regional Tournament
10/21/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Oct. 21, 2004
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State women's tennis team will head to the ITA Midwest Regional Tournament Thursday, Oct. 21 through Tuesday Oct. 26 in Minneapolis. The Spartans will have eight competitors in singles and doubles.
Senior Keri Thompson (Clark Lake, Mich.) and junior Shelley Brady (Grand Blanc, Mich.) qualified for the singles main draw, as sophomore Sarah Andrews (Darwin, Australia), freshman Christine Bader (Okemos, Mich.), senior Karen Gustafson (East Lansing, Mich.), freshman Jaylen Musselman (Muskegon, Mich.), junior Marta Walasek (Ann Arbor, Mich.) and sophomore Pascale Schnitzer (Santiago, Chile) will compete in qualifying rounds.
"The main thing I am looking to find out is who our team's best competitors are," commented head coach Tim Bauer. "We need to see who we can count on when things get tight. It is clear that this Spartan team has a better understanding of their strengths and they are more focused on staying positive so they can use those strengths on their opponents."
The Spartans' doubles line up is quit new, as most of the teams competing in the main draw for MSU have only played together twice.
Keri Thompson and Christine Bader - 2-0Shelley Brady and Sarah Andrews - 0-2Karen Gustafson and Pascale Schnitzer - 1-1Marta Walasek and Jaylen Musselman - 0-0
"We are trying out a few new doubles combinations in part of an on-going process which I feel probably will not end until the Big Ten season," said Bauer. "It is hard to find the best doubles teams quickly."
Last Week's Eck Classic: Head coach Tim Bauer saw last weekend's tournament as an opportunity to measure his team's strengths and weaknesses among some of the nation's top competitors. The Spartans were also able to get a sneak peak at their spring competition against Ohio State and Virginia.
Although the Spartans didn't see their most successful weekend in terms of victories, Bauer considered it a successful stepping stone heading in preparation for the spring season.
"We came away seeing some very inspiring tennis," said Bauer. "Both Keri Thompson and Christine Bader had impressive matches. Additionally, another bright spot was seeing the return of captain Shelley Brady."
Last week was Brady's first competition since her knee surgery last spring.
"If we can learn to turn the fear of losing into an opportunity for winning," said head coach Tim Bauer. "We will excel this weekend, as it is just another opportunity for each athlete to grow as a competitor."
The first and second rounds of competition will be played Thursday starting at 9:30 a.m. (EDT). Competition will run through Tuesday, Oct. 26.
Players Mentioned
