BETHLEHEM, Pa. – After a 7-0 record during the fall season, the Moravian College women's tennis team is confident and assertive heading into the challenging spring schedule.
Veteran head coach Dawn Ketterman-Benner, in her 28th season at Moravian, knows her squad feels the momentum from the perfect fall and is confident the Greyhounds know how to turn that energy into the program's first Landmark Conference championship since 2011.
"This is a new year and a new team," Ketterman-Benner said. "We're ready to take back the title. I think the fall season was a great motivator for us. It was a tough schedule that really brought the team together, and it was a perfect way to integrate the newcomers into the team."
The Greyhounds were one of the many victims of a relentless winter in the Northeast, but that did not stop them from honing their game in between seasons. The squad hit the courts in the ARC at the Timothy Breidegam Fieldhouse, as well as the Northwood Racquet Club and Winning Touch indoor facilities.
"They continued the cohesiveness and hard-working attitude through the winter," KetterVenman-Benner said. "They wanted to get better for the spring, even with an undefeated record in the fall. I was impressed with their work this winter."
Seniors Katie Zien and Erica Venuti return to the captain roles for the spring, as well as occupy some of the top singles and doubles slots. Zien was a perfect 7-0 in dual matches during the fall in singles, and was 8-1 overall. She was also perfect in dual match doubles with her partner, freshman Brittney Eady.
Venuti was 8-3 overall in singles last fall, with a 6-1 mark in dual matches. She posted a 5-2 dual match first doubles record with her other half, junior Melissa Follett.
"This is a great group of girls," Ketterman-Benner said. "Every now and then, you get one of those memorable groups. The seniors are all great leaders. We've been through tough times and good times. We stuck together with the motto, 'Work hard, play harder.' We just need to make it happen."
Follett assumes a co-captain role this spring after the midyear graduation of Olivia Sonnabend. Follett went 4-3 in the always-challenging first singles position in fall dual matches, and went 7-4 overall.
Eady had a strong start to her rookie campaign, posting a 7-0 dual match record at second and third singles, with an 8-1 overall mark.
Another pair of underclassman got off to perfect singles starts during the fall in sophomore Courtnie Lambert and freshman Selina Ocasio. Lambert was 6-0, while Ocasio went 5-0 in dual matches.
Ketterman-Benner welcomes a transfer student this spring as second-semester freshman Amanda Miller will make her debut for the Blue and Grey this spring after coming in from West Chester University, an NCAA Division II program.
Freshmen Julia Atiyeh, Cristina Cardinale, Noel Ferraro and Roberta Scantlebury all saw their first collegiate tennis action during the fall and will continue to grow as the spring season continues.
Moravian is still seeking to erase the memory of a tough end to the 2012-13 season, when the Greyhounds missed the Landmark Conference playoffs by the slimmest of margins. They were eliminated in a tiebreaker.
"That's still motivating us, especially the seniors," Ketterman-Benner said. "The conference is tough. Moravian has been the team that set the bar high, and everyone loves to beat us. They go out of their way to make sure they beat us. Our girls are up for that challenge and they're focused. We want to avoid those 5-4 matches, because those are the scores that can end up hurting you in a tiebreaker."
The spring season begins with a four-match stint in Tampa, Florida beginning on Monday, March 3. The Greyhounds return to the Hoffman Courts in Bethlehem to open up both the home season and the Landmark Conference slate with a dual match against Goucher College on Saturday, March 15.
