There’s no doubt about it. The Massachusetts Women’s tennis team is in for an exciting season, starting this weekend in a first-ever match against Syracuse.
UMass Coach Judy Dixon sees the match as a great way to start the season.
“We’ve been practicing now for two and a half weeks, and we’re really ready to play,” Dixon said. “I think the Syracuse match is a good first match to put us on the path to our goal for the season, which is to win the Atlantic 10 Championships.”
It’s not exactly the easiest thing to aim for, but if Dixon has any doubts, she doesn’t show them. After an amazing season last spring, the team lost the A-10 title to powerhouse Temple. That’s something Dixon wants to change this season, and she has an exceptionally talented group of players to make it happen.
Junior captain Sasha Edelstein and senior Jenny Munroe hold the top two positions for the team. Edelstein’s biggest strength is her energetic court presence, and the international experience she brings from Haifa, Israel.
Munroe comes very highly ranked in the United States, but due to injury was unable to play until her senior year. Exceptionally smart on the court, Munroe hits hard and flat, and more often than not overpowers her opponent.
“[Munroe] is definitely the spark of the team,” Dixon said, very confident about the top two spots this season. “[Munroe]’s hard to play against because the ball’s coming at you very fast. With Sasha [Edelstein] on the other hand, it’s not coming at you as fast, it’s coming at you with a spin.”
Stephanie Price, a two year member of the A-10 All-Conference team, will play in the number three spot. Another hard, flat hitter, her strength is her ability to hit with pace to all parts of the court, and her valuable experience with playing under pressure.
“[Price] has a lot of experience, especially in very crucial matches,” Dixon said.
Freshman Christine Liehr from Germany holds the number four spot. An outstanding freshman who hits with spin, Liehr is a threat all over the court.
Dorothy Iwanowicz is on fire. She was undefeated in the conference last year playing position four, so Dixon is confident she will continue to dominate the fifth position this year.
“Iwanowicz’s strength is that she hits the ball extremely early, putting pressure on her opponent,” Dixon said.
Senior co-captain Susan Hyams will be playing position six with sophomore Jana Barteloni. Hyams, a four-year player and a lefty, has had more than enough wins to put herself on the UMass all-time lists for both singles and doubles.
“Susan [Hyams] not only has four years of experience, she was part of the team that went to the NCAAs one year, so she has experience in big matches,” Dixon said.
Bartoloni, who played position seven last year, hits the ball hard and has a lot of spin. She went undefeated in the fall, and one of her biggest strengths, according to Dixon, is her ability to move on the court.
Freshman Sadie Sandquist is currently recovering from an injury, but will definitely see some playing time later in the season.
The number one doubles team is powerful heavy-hitting duo Price and Sandquist, an intimidating force to be reckoned with.
“They’re very hard to play against because it’s like the ball’s coming at you at a hundred miles an hour,” Dixon said.
With such a solid team, Dixon’s goal of winning the A-10 Championships is hardly far-fetched.
“I expect that we’re going to have some bumps along the way, but if we can stay healthy, our goal is definitely attainable for sure,” Dixon said.
