Deacons Begin Fall Action This Weekend
9/13/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Sept. 13, 2007
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The Demon Deacons are gearing up for fall play, scheduled to begin September 14 at the Tennessee Invitational.
The fall schedule includes several ITA events as well the annual Deacon Classic, Wake's home tournament set for September 21-23.
"Even though we're a spring sport, our effort in the fall is vital to our success in the spring," Head Coach Chad Skorupka said.
"Although the team finished in the top 20 for the first time in five years in 2007, the team finished the season with some injuries that hurt us on the court. We didn't have Alex Hirsch for the NCAA Regionals and anytime you have your No. 1 player out that hurts." Skorupka said.
"We're healthy now and looking forward to competing this weekend at Tennessee and looking forward to the 07-08 year."
The 2007-08 Squad
Senior Alex Hirsch topped WFU's lineup in 2007, finishing 8-10 in singles and 7-5 in doubles with partner Ashlee Davis. Davis and Hirsch were selected for the NCAA doubles championship, becoming WFU's first tandem selection since 2005.
Hirsch's largest '07 singles upset came against then-fourth ranked Jenna Long, a clinching win for the Deacons over then-No. 4 North Carolina at the ACC opener in Winston-Salem. The Atlanta, Ga. native earned All-ACC honors for her 4-5 singles record and 6-3 doubles mark in conference play.
"We will be looking for Alex to return to top form this year," Skorupka said.
Senior Jenna Loeb struggled with injuries last season but will look to recover and make an impact in the 2008 Deacon lineup. Loeb saw singles court time in two ACC contests last season, landing a win over Boston College's Sarah Svoboda.
Ana Jerman, Sierra Poske and Christian Tara make up the Deacon's junior class and their performance will be crucial for Wake's success in 2008. All three had regular starts in the middle of the lineup last season.
"Their effort makes the difference in our winning or losing this season," Skorupka said. "The juniors are the heart of the lineup and have the experience now to get things done."
Sasha Kulikova returns as the lone Deacon sophomore. Kulikova earned the team's MVP award last season and posted the team's highest ACC mark with nine conference wins.
"Last season she was the only rookie, but she stepped up and earned a starting position immediately. She's proven she has the drive to compete at this level."
The Deacs welcome two newcomers to this year's squad, Katarina Reveche and Emilee Malvehy, both out of California.
Reveche is a five star "blue chip" recruit from Canoga Park, Calif. She has consistently ranked in the top 30 of the USTA Girls' national rankings and was ranked in the top 10 of California players. Malvehy, an Auburn, Calif. native, is a five star recruit according to tennisrecruiting.net.
"Katarina and Emilee are two extremely talented athletes. I'm looking to see them get good experience this fall so they can make an immediate impact in dual match season."
The Road Ahead
The non-conference portion of the Spring schedule features some of the nation's top competition, including six teams that finished in the ITA's Top 30 at the end of the 2007 season. The Deacs will open the spring schedule with a road match against 15th-ranked William & Mary*, the squad that ended WFU's season at the NCAA tournament in 2007.
February play includes home matches with Penn State, 23rd-ranked Tennessee, 24th-ranked Indiana and No. 7 Notre Dame with a possible trip to the ITA Indoors tournament which showcases the nation's top 15 teams.
The Deacs will spend spring break in Texas facing Big 12 competition from 13th-ranked Baylor and 25th-ranked Texas A&M. The TCU Horned Frogs will wrap the Deacs non-conference portion of the schedule in Winston-Salem on March 6.
In 2008, the Deacons will have seven consecutive ACC road battles, beginning with Maryland on March 22 and ending with NC State on April 6. The stretch includes No. 11 Clemson on March 29and 2007 NCAA Champions Georgia Tech on March 30. No. 9 Miami will close out the Deacs' regular season schedule on April 13 in Winston-Salem.
"It's one of the toughest schedules in the country, no question," Skorupka said. "We're hoping that we can pull out some big wins, so that combined with the strength of our schedule should give us a big lift in the rankings."
A Quick Look Back
In 2007, the Deacs finished 15-8 overall and 7-4 in ACC action. The squad peaked at No. 14 in the rankings at the start of ACC season following a huge upset over North Carolina. In the ACC tournament, the Deacs defeated Maryland 4-0 in the first round but were ousted by North Carolina in the second round (4-0). The Deacs were invited to the dance for the second consecutive season, defeating Penn in the first round (4-1), but falling to William & Mary in the second round (4-1).
*all rankings are from ITA's final 2007season poll
Players Mentioned
