Eph women's tennis spring season outlook

WILLIAMSTOWN, MA -- March 12th weather report:

5:10 pm -- partly cloudy -- 27 degrees; winds out of the north, northwest at 10 gusting to 19 mph -- wind chill 18 degrees, falling to 12 with the wind at 19 mph

March 12th was the first day that the Williams women's tennis team was able to practice outdoors. There will be no resting on laurels for the Williams College women's tennis team under the direction of second year head coach Alison Swain '01.  The Ephs could get as many as six outdoor practices in before the spring break trip, which rarely happens in the Berkshires.

"It's a privilege to have the bulls-eye on our backs," notes Swain. "You only get the bulls-eye when you win. We were top four pretty much all of last season and not many picked us to win the NCAAs. These girls know that it's the small improvements that make the biggest difference."

Swain's Ephs are gearing up for a 6-match spring break trip to Georgia that will feature five matches versus nationally ranked Division III teams and Division II Augusta State.

On March 29th the Ephs will face Washington & Lee at Emory University in a re-match of last year's NCAA Championship match that the Ephs won 5-4. Washington & Lee had entered the match undefeated and as the defending NCAA Champions. The Generals no doubt have circled March 29th for some time on their schedule.

Grace Baljon '10 -- All-American

Swain will endeavor to put her six best singles and three best doubles units on the court each match beginning with the first match vs. the University of the South on March 22 at Woodward Academy. "We will not play our best match every day, but we can battle our hardest every match," says Swain. "It's not about repeating as NCAA Champions as much as it is about competing to the best of our ability, supporting each other and playing with heart."

Swain has five of the six singles players back who played in last year's NCAA title match and she has three All-Americans in senior Cary Gibson, junior Grace Baljon and sophomore Nikki Reich.

Eph women's tennis spring weather forecast: sunny.

Gibson, a four-year All-American as either a singles or doubles player will play a "home" match on the spring trip when the Ephs play at Augusta State (Div. II) in Augusta, Georgia, her hometown, on April 2.  Gibson finished second last year in the NCAA singles tournament that followed the team competition. She owns a 66-34 singles record and is 64-37 in doubles in her career. "Cary provides tremendous competitive leadership for the team," Swain points out.

Gibson will team with Nikki Reich to form the Ephs top doubles team. This duo has already garnered All-American recognition this academic year with their 17-1 record in the fall and number one ranking in the northeast.

Due to an academic commitment in Washington, D.C., Gibson will be forced to miss the first match of the spring break trip.

Junior Grace Baljon, another 2008 singles All-American returns after spending the fall semester studying abroad. Baljon went 34-2 as a sophomore and 24-4 as a first year to give her a sparkling 58-6 career singles mark. "You never know how a player will return from being away, but Grace has returned to form quickly with a new sense of maturity," Swain says.

Baljon will join first year Taylor French to comprise the Ephs second doubles team. French impressed in the fall and Baljon is already a proven commodity. "Taylor is a definite asset to our doubles play," offers Swain.

Ashley Parsons has played at three singles for the Ephs for two years and has compiled a 40-16 ledger. She was 21-7 last year. "Everyone on our team is inspired by Ashley's perseverance," comments Swain.

All-American Nikki Reich '11

Nikki Reich played at four singles in 2008 and recorded the clinching win in the NCAA title match, while amassing a record of 23-5. Reich also played three doubles last season with Annie Hancock and classmate Lucy Marchese, posting a record of 28-5. "Nikki has really improved in her second year and she appears ready to build upon a successful fall," says Swain.

Senior Annie Hancock played at six singles last season and was 6-6 and she teamed with Reich to go 12-1 at three doubles. "Annie in many ways is the heart and soul of this team," says Swain. "She brings a lot of spirit to every practice and every match."

Sophomore Lucy Marchese is recovering from an injury that kept her out of the NCAA Tournament a year ago. Marchese put up a 13-3 singles mark playing at number three and then teamed with the graduated Annie Schneidman and Nikki Reich to go 16-3 at three doubles. "It's always tough to come back from an injury," Swain says. "I'm excited to see Lucy compete this spring."

Junior Genny Loomis will join with first year Kristin Alotta to form the Ephs third doubles team. "Genny has really come into her own in her junior year," notes Swain. "She's an intimidating presence on the court with her big serve and big ground strokes." Loomis owns a career singles record of 26-5 and a doubles mark of 16-11.

Loomis and Alotta won the "B" Flight doubles at the NEWITT Championships in the fall and they posted a record of 6-1 in the fall portion of the schedule.

Alotta earned a record of 11-1 in singles play at number four and then teamed with classmate Taylor French and Genny Loomis to run up a 12-2 doubles mark. "Kristin is coming off a great fall in both singles and doubles and has proved that she will be a great competitive asset for our team," states Swain.

Sophomore Katie Friedman is 17-7 in singles play and 9-7 in doubles. "Katie is a feisty competitor who's looking to make her mark in singles play this spring," says Swain.

First year Caroline Capute completed the fall campaign with a record of 7-2 in singles and 7-6 in doubles. "Caroline is a great competitor who is improving rapidly," says Swain.

A bulls-eye, a demanding schedule are all part of the tennis experience at Williams right now. "As a coach you never want things to come easily to your team, you want them to work hard," says Swain. "The only way to get better is to push yourself and to be tested. We want to be tested so we will be ready to play our best when the time comes."

"We're all pretty much ready to start spring break," says Swain. "The girls are finishing up mid terms and papers and practicing and they are looking forward to the sunshine and the good competition when we get to Georgia."