Wake Forest Athletics
2002 Women's Tennis Preview
2/4/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Feb. 4, 2002
By Jay Reddick
Anyone who followed the women's tennis team at Wake Forest last season got to know six names very well.
Those six players comprised the Deacons' entire roster for singles and doubles. Any illnesses or injuries put the team in a hole before any matches started. Coach Brian Fleishman called it "living on the edge."
Despite the touch-and-go nature of the season, the team still thrived, with an 18-9 record and a berth in the NCAA round of 16. This season, with a healthier complement of nine players, Fleishman hopes the team can keep its sense of urgency while going even further in the tournament.
"With the players we have and a little luck, we're definitely a top-10 team," Fleishman said of the Deacons, who begin the spring season Feb. 2 ranked 15th nationally. "After that, anything can happen on any given day, and we could be pushing for a national championship."
The Deacons will try to do that with five of the "Iron Six" returning from last season, led by junior Bea Bielik, the nation's No. 1 college player. Bielik compiled a 34-6 record in singles last season while playing against all of the nation's best talent. Just one of the players Bielik beat, Duke's Ansley Cargill, has moved on to the WTA Tour and recently faced Venus Williams in the first round of the Australian Open.
"That kind of result opens everybody's eyes up," Fleishman said.
Continuing the stability at the top of the lineup is senior Janet Bergman, an All-America who is ranked 12th nationally. Bergman will also team with Bielik again in doubles, where the pairing is ranked third nationally.
"I have to pair them up again," Fleishman said. "They get along well, they mesh well, they know what the other will do before she does it. It sets us up for a free point. Once they do that, everybody sees that and follows their lead."
Senior Maren Haus, ranked 67th nationally, rounds out the team's top three, a group that Fleishman credits with keeping the program competitive in the ACC and the nation.
"I have three players who are unbelievable players and people," Fleishman said. "They've been the glue for this team and held it together. I give them a lot of credit for their loyalty to the school and to me. They're the ones that have held the team together."
After those three, there's a dropoff in age and accolades, but maybe not such a fall in talent level. Sophomore Elizabeth Proctor returns for her second spring season after joining the team in midseason last year. She compiled an 8-16 record, but Fleishman said her game is becoming more well-rounded.
"She knows what to expect now," Fleishman said. "She's probably one of the best baseline players in the nation, and she's working hard on her net game."
Aimee Smith, the team's other sophomore, compiled a 23-16 doubles record last season and figures to make an impact there, as well as in singles.
Katie Martzolf, a freshman from Indianapolis, has already worked her way up to 110th in the collegiate rankings, no small feat in one fall season. Beating the No. 1 seed at the Southeast ITA Regional (and an ACC rival from Duke) helped to put her on the fast track.
"She's hungry," Fleishman said. "She got a little taste of it in the fall, and she can't wait to get back out there."
Karin Coetzee, a South African who started classes at Wake Forest this semester, should make an immediate splash in the Deacons' lineup. She was ranked as high as No. 89 in the world junior rankings.
"She'll be a great addition," Fleishman said. "If she makes the transition (to college tennis), which you never know, I'm looking for her to play in the middle of the (singles) lineup and at high-level doubles."
Danielle Schwartz, a freshman from Livingston, N.J., was the No. 1 junior doubles player in the country before an elbow injury a year ago forced her to have ligament-replacement surgery.
"She's all the way back from the injury, which shows me that she knows how to overcome huge obstacles," Fleishman said. "She's a true serve and volleyer, which is rare. She'll contribute in doubles right away but won't be satisfied with that for long."
The final member of the freshman class is Catherine Sutej from Lewisville, who received several scholarship offers but decided to stay close to home.
"Cathy's already pushing people in practice," Fleishman said. "She may get some playing time before this season is over."
That sort of depth gives the Deacons plenty of options. It also allows Fleishman to breathe a little easier.
"With nine players, people pushing each other, we can afford for somebody to get sick every now and then," Fleishman said. "I think it takes a lot of pressure off everybody, coaches, players and trainers."
The schedule gets off to a fast start Feb. 2 with a home match against No. 6 Tennessee. Later that same week, the Deacons participate in the National Team Indoors against the top 16 teams in the country. Fleishman hopes to see Stanford, which ended WFU's 2000-01 season at NCAAs, in that event.
"We won three of four matches against their players at Fall Indoors, an individual event," Fleishman said. "National Team Indoors is a good indicator for how the rest of the season is going to go."
Third-ranked Duke is favored to win the ACC again, with the Deacs and North Carolina just behind. Fleishman has the match with Duke on April 11 circled on the calendar, but his ultimate goal looms on May 25.
"I've tried to instill in them that we can win a national championship," Fleishman said. "Wanting and doing are two different things and May is a long time away, but it's feasible. It's there for the taking. If we're going to do it at all, this is a good time to do it."
