Coming off a second place finish in Division III last year, the women's tennis team looks primed for another championship run. Seniors Gabrielle Clark and Brenna Kelly are the team's returning captains. Clark reached the semifinals in the NCAA Division III Championships Singles tournament and reached the semifinals in Doubles with sophomore Annette Sullivan. Along with Clark, Kelly earned University Athletic Association (UAA) honors. She finished 17-5 in doubles, including a 12-game winning streak at the end of the season.
The future for the team looks bright as well, with the No. 1-ranked recruiting class in Division III, according to tennisrecruiting.net. The class is led by five-star recruit Michelle Satterfield, who was ranked No. 42 in the nation in high school as a senior last year by Babolat. She is the only five-star recruit to join a Division III team, and it is very rare for a top 50 player in the nation to join a Division III school. While she won't necessarily be relied upon this year, Satterfield has the chance to contribute greatly to the tennis team in the future.
Along with the strong recruiting class, the tennis team added a new assistant coach, Christy Lynch. Lynch brings significant experience to the team, having been a member of the 2007 Georgia Tech team that won the Division I National Championship.
"It's great to have a former national champion," Kelly said. "She helps us with strategy, staying healthy and is someone we can look up to."
Coupled with the new assistant coach, the tennis team brings back Head Coach Amy Bryant, who is the first female in any NCAA division to win a National Championship as a player and coach, winning all of her championships at Emory. She has won four consecutive national championships as a coach in 2003 through 2006.
In order to improve upon last year, the team is focused on improving its physical and mental toughness. In fact, the team is emphasizing communication at practice. Also, the team is shortening the length of water breaks during practice, in order to simulate the rigor of a tennis match more accurately.
While the team wants to win a national title, Bryant said, "We to work one step at a time, starting with going for the UAA title."
Emory is expected to go far beyond the UAA, having finished second in the nation last year, but it is important to temper expectations slightly. Injuries could be one of many factors that could prove a setback, but the team feels that it is very deep and that other members will be ready to step up.
Standing in the team's pursuit of a national championship is Williams College (Mass.), who defeated Emory in the finals of the Division III National Championships last May. Williams has won the last six Division III National Championships.
The team needs to build chemistry early in the season and utilize regular season matches as preparation for the National Championships. This team has a lot of expectations, but they are putting in the hard work necessary to reach the lofty expectations.
Clark, having reached the semifinals in the singles and doubles, has the potential to win both tournaments this year. She has already been one of Emory's best players and has a chance to further her accomplishments this season. If the Emory team stays focused, a national championship is certainly within reach.
– By Shawn Farshchi
Photo courtesy of Emory Athletics
