Women's Tennis Gears Up For Fall Home Opener
9/23/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Sept. 23, 2004
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State women's tennis team will open its fall season against Eastern Michigan, Miami (Ohio) and Toledo as the Spartans will host The Yonex Spartan Cup. The tournament will run Friday-Sunday (Sept. 24-26) at the MSU Outdoor Tennis Courts. Matches are set to begin at 9 a.m. each day.
"We are excited to host our annual event," said head coach Tim Bauer. "Fall is a great time of year to be on the MSU campus and we invite tennis fans to come out each day to get a first look at our new team, one which I feel will be the best yet."
A Look Back To The Yonex Spartan Cup 2003: While only allowing 15 points in four matches, former MSU player Caroline Lay took out Ball State's Melissa Roach in the finals to become the "A" singles flights champion. Sophomore Sara Andrews (Darwin, Australia) was defeated by Jill Klauck of Cincinnati in the "B" singles flight finals.
2004 Fall Season Outlook: "I am excited to see the start of everyone's year," said Bauer. "We will learn a lot about where we are as a team and individuals are able to test their game against new competition. After this weekend, we'll be able to spot our strengths and weaknesses and see what it will take for us to reach our goals."
The Spartans welcome returning standouts in senior Keri Thompson (Clark Lake, Mich.) and sophomores Pascale Schnitzer (Santiago, Chile), Jessica Baron (Miami, Fla.) and Sarah Andrews. Senior Karen Gustafson (East Lansing, Mich.) also will be making her return.
Welcome Freshmen: "A bright new face will be freshman Christine Bader (Okemos, Mich.), who makes her debut as a Spartan this weekend," said Bauer. "Christine brings a world-class serve and a game which is maturing by the day. In addition to our returnees, you will see some new members of the Spartan squad which has recently added Jaylen Musselman (Muskegon, Mich.), Eilene Cotter (Jackson, Mich.) and MacKenzie Hanna (Oshtemo, Mich.)."
Spartans In The Spring: MSU ended regular 2004 season 8-14 overall and 3-7 in the Big Ten. The Spartans saw many nationally ranked opponents in their regular-season schedule and defeated nationally ranked No. 58 Purdue, 4-3. The win over Purdue helped the Spartans match their best Big Ten record since 1993 with three wins in conference play.
Coaches Corner: "We are also fortunate to have assistant coach Brett Page returning for his fifth season," said Bauer. "He brings world class coaching experience back to the sidelines and remains a vital part of our success. By expressing his wise on-court advice he is able to reach each individual athlete to help produce winning results."
Coaching Debut: Making her coaching debut will be volunteer assistant coach Laura Bauer. "Laura brings a strong tennis background," said Bauer. "She has a keen eye for coaching and a rare ability to inspire athletes to find the best within themselves in the toughest of situations. She will be a great addition to our coaching staff."
Players Mentioned
