Michigan State University Athletics
Expectations Run High For Women's Tennis
11/11/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Nov. 11, 2004
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State women's team is feeling more confident going into the offseason than it has in recent years. The Spartans started off their 2004 fall season strong at The Yonex Spartan Cup and continued to succeed on the road with trips to the Wolverine Invitational, the Eck Classic hosted by Notre Dame and finished at the ITA Midwest Regional tournament in Minneapolis.
"I am very pleased with our fall season," said head coach Tim Bauer. "I think it has been our best so far and may set us up for a record-breaking spring. Our team has improved in all aspects - technically, physically, mentally and above all socially. Our team is learning how to work as a unit to reach goals. Each team member is filling a role and they are beginning to expect a lot of themselves as well as teammates."
Spartan Cup Recap:
The season opener proved to be of excellent use for the Spartans as many members had their first matches playing for the Green and White. The finals would see two Spartans compete for titles, senior Keri Thompson (Clarke Lake, Mich.) in the "A" singles flight and sophomore Sara Andrews (Darwin, Australia) in the "B" singles flight. Thompson took the first set from Eastern Michigan's Victoria Domina, 6-3, but Domina came back to win the second and third sets, 6-4, 6-3. Andrews, however, emerged as the tournament's top winner for the Spartans as she defeated Eastern Michigan's Laura Fernandez. The first set belonged to Fernandez with a, 6-4 win, but Andrews clinched the second and third sets, 6-4, 6-3, for the victory.
Wolverine Wrap Up:
Although Thompson had lost in the finals the week before in East Lansing, traveling down the road to Ann Arbor seemed to improve her game. Thompson went 4-0 in singles play which ensured her the title of "Blue" flight singles champion. Thompson did not allow any of her opponents to win more than five games in a match.
"I was really proud to win that tournament," said Thompson. "I wish it could have been in East Lansing, but winning in Ann Arbor is always satisfying. It's great to know that a Spartan name will remain in a U of M program every year"
Revisiting the Eck Classic:
The Spartans faced a higher level of competition at Indiana and also welcomed the return of their 2004 spring season starter and captain junior Shelley Brady (Grand Blanc, Mich.). Brady, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in the spring, had a dominating victory over Notre Dame's Bailey Louderbeck, 6-1, 6-2.
"It's been tough getting back into competition," said Brady. "I was able to build my confidence after that win against Notre Dame."
Other standout performances included a doubles victory over Ohio State. Thompson and Bader teamed up to defeat OSU's Emily DeCamilla and Emily Howard, 8-5.
Senior Karen Gustafson (East Lansing, Mich.) and sophomore Pascale Schnitzer (Santiago, Chile) also fared well in doubles play as they picked up an 8-5 win against Anna Jackson and Stephanie Smith of Kansas.
Gustafson, who missed most of last year due to back problems, is also seeing more playing time.
"With each tournament I felt like I was starting to get used to playing matches again," said Gustafson. "Through competition, I've become mentally stronger which has been a problem in the past."
Tough Competition at the ITA Midwest Tournament Schnitzer found herself competing in the main draw after dominating competition in the qualifying rounds. After not dropping a single set in five qualifying round matches, Schnitzer fell to Notre Dame's Brook Buck, 6-1, 6-1.
"I'm used to playing on clay courts outside so indoor competitions are a bit harder," said Schnitzer. "I've had time to adjust but I've had to improve my volley with the harder courts."
Spartan Rookies:
This year the Spartan squad has added four new members to its roster. The addition consists of three freshmen and one sophomore.
Freshman Christine Bader (Okemos, Mich.) is emerging as a top candidate for a spot in the starting rotation for the spring. Fighting through the pressures of college has not seemed to phase this Spartan freshman as she had many victories throughout the fall season. Bader knows that her and her teammates have a clear agenda for the spring: win matches.
"I really want the team to beat Vanderbilt and get off to a really good start," said Bader. "I also want to have a winning singles record and help the team get a national ranking."
Just as any athlete looks to improve in the offseason, it's no different for these young Spartans. Most goals consist of moving up the ladder and improving personal games.
"I'd like to be one of the top eight to travel with the team," said freshman Jaylen Musselman (Muskegon, Mich.). "Ultimately I want to work my way into the starting rotation."
Sophomore MacKenzie Hanna (Kalamazoo, Mich.) is enjoying the switch from her field hockey stick to a tennis racket.
"I missed not being a part of tennis and being on the court," said Hanna. "I like the competitiveness of everyone on the team is helping us become stronger competitors."
"Grace Under Pressure" and "No Regrets:"
Donned as the team's mottos for the upcoming 2005 regular season, the phrases look to help players build character as they face immense competition in their season and not look back with regrets.
"Our ability to find grace under pressure will show us just how far we can go," said Bauer. "We are challenging ourselves to practice competing every time we step onto the practice court."
Time Out:
With the philosophy of hard work, Bauer and his coaching staff hope to build off their successful fall season.
"Our team is going to work harder than ever this offseason and our spring successes will definitely reflect this dedication," said Bauer "We have to play one of the toughest schedules in the nation and will face many nationally-ranked teams again this year. I think our program has finally grown into the challenging schedule and we're ready to compete with some of the top programs."
The Spartans are hoping their momentum from the fall season along with their preparation in the offseason will pay off in their first match against Vanderbilt on Jan. 14.
"As a team we want to do better in the Big Ten," said Brady. "We have an awesome team this year and I think we have a lot of potential. This year's team is harder working and more goal oriented than teams in the past."
"Our team is preparing for a great set of challenges this spring and we will fight for every point from our first match till the last," said Bauer. "We hope to be in great form at the Big Ten Championships which we host this year. Our schedule puts us on the road quite a lot this season so we will certainly be eager to show Spartan fans some great tennis in front of a home crowd."
Women's tennis will open its 2005 season on the road against No. 3 Vanderbilt in Nashville on Jan. 14.
Fall 2004 Season Records
Athlete Singles
Sarah Andrews 8-7Christine Bader 4-8Jessica Baron 0-0Shelley Brady 1-3Eilene Cotter 1-3Karen Gustafson 7-7Marissa Macholz 0-5Jaylen Musselman 1-7Pascale Schnitzer 7-6Kate Thomas 0-0Keri Thompson 9-4Marta Walasek 3-6
Doubles Team
Andrews/Thompson 5-3Andrews/Brady 0-1Bader/Gustafson 7-3Bader/Thompson 2-2Brady/Schnitzer 0-1Brady/Andrews 0-3Cotter/Macholz 0-3Cotter/Hanna 0-1Hanna/Macholz 0-2Hanna/Walasek 0-2Macholz/Walasek 0-1Musselman/Walasek 0-1Schnitzer/Gustafson 2-2Schnitzer/Walasek 1-1
