The University of Sioux Falls women's tennis team will begin
its fall season this weekend, as it travels to Clinton, Iowa, for the 2nd
annual Ashford Invitational held at the Blackhawk Tennis Club in Waterloo,
Iowa.
The tournament, which will feature seven singles flights and
three doubles flight, will be host to several of the best tennis squads in the
region, including the University of Saint Francis, Missouri Valley College and
St. Joe's College along with the University of Sioux Falls.
This will be the second consecutive season that USF has
opened its fall campaign at the Ashford Invitational.
The Cougars return seven lettermen; senior Caitlin Vance, juniors Julia
Iversen, Rachel Hussey and Karlee Sieve, and sophomores Dannika Nash and Morgan
DeLange. Also back on the court this year is redshirt junior and Roosevelt
product Molly Seigenthaler, who redshirted last season.
Eighth-year head coach Kevin Grebin also added true freshmen
Stacey Beard, Emily Erickson and Alison Kauss to his roster.
While the Cougars struggled to find their groove last year
and finished 1-10 overall, there were bright spots. DeLange, a former Watertown
standout, completed her rookie season with four wins. In addition, the doubles
tandem of Hussey and Iversen posted a record of 5-2 from the no. 2 position.
The Cougars started fall practice on Monday and Hussey was
excited to get back on the court with her teammates.
“It's been fun to get out and hit again and see all the new
girls,” she said after Tuesday's practice. “The focus of our practice has been
playing out matches and getting ready for the tournament this weekend.”
Last season USF endured freak injuries, match postponements,
and rain-outs, not to mention a winter practice schedule that put them on the
court from 10 p.m. to midnight on school nights. With a roster of just
six, every student-athlete was also forced to play both singles and doubles in
every match.
Hussey is reassured by the Cougars' new strength in numbers.
“We really had to worry about injuries last year, since we
only had six girls on the team,” she said. “We have a lot more depth and
flexibility within our team this year, and it will be nice if someone needs a
break they can sit and someone else can step in and hit.”
It's hard to set expectations going into the first weekend
of competition, but Hussey thinks that the Cougars should perform well in their
fall season-opener.
“I'm really hoping that we place pretty high in the
tournament,” she said. “I think that
a lot of the girls kept their word by hitting all summer and I've already seen
a lot of improvement.
“Hopefully we finish in the top half.”
A recap of the action will be available on USFCOUGARS.com
following the completion of competition.
