2008 Woodie Awards
Women's tennis falls at Rhode Island
Mickey Bell '08
Issue date: 10/3/07 Section: Sports
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The Saint Joseph's women's tennis team traveled to the University of Rhode Island in Kingston on Saturday, Sept. 29. The final tally was a 6-1 loss for the Hawks, who fell to 1-3 in the 2007 season, but many of the matches were hard-fought battles.
The squad did pick up victories in two matches. Lauren Kuhmerker, '08, posted an impressive victory by winning the first set 6-4, losing the second set 5-6, and soundly winning the tiebreaker with a score of 10-4 for the No. 5 singles slot. The No. 1 doubles tandem of Stephania Velazquez, '08, and Jennifer Kedzierski, '10, defeated the Rhode Island pair by a score of 8-5. Dating back to last year, Velazquez and Kedzierski have won 12 of the 16 No. 1 doubles matches they have played together and are a tough matchup for any opponent.
In her No. 2 singles match, Velazquez won the first set 6-4 before dropping the next two. Gina DiGiacomo, '08, lost in tough consecutive sets by a final score of 6-3 and 7-6. Maggie Mullaney, '11, lost in an evenly contested matchup 6-4, 6-4. The talented Rhode Island Rams team improved to 2-0 in their young season.
One of the hurdles this team must overcome is simply a lack of experience at the collegiate level. Katy Borden, '11, and Mullaney are two women who have stepped into very important roles for this team rather early in their Saint Joseph's career. There is an adjustment period for any freshman coming to college, and this is twofold for an athlete trying to become acclimated to the heightened speed of the Division I game. Head Coach Al Laveson has confidence in the team's ability to improve as the season progresses.
"They are young and this is an experience for them, especially with doubles as most of these girls only played singles in high school," said Laveson. "Doubles is a learning game and they are learning how to play with a partner. These kids are very well-bonded; they will grow, and I will give them time to. The teams we are playing, like Rhode Island, are really experienced and talented, but we gave them a good battle."
The squad did pick up victories in two matches. Lauren Kuhmerker, '08, posted an impressive victory by winning the first set 6-4, losing the second set 5-6, and soundly winning the tiebreaker with a score of 10-4 for the No. 5 singles slot. The No. 1 doubles tandem of Stephania Velazquez, '08, and Jennifer Kedzierski, '10, defeated the Rhode Island pair by a score of 8-5. Dating back to last year, Velazquez and Kedzierski have won 12 of the 16 No. 1 doubles matches they have played together and are a tough matchup for any opponent.
In her No. 2 singles match, Velazquez won the first set 6-4 before dropping the next two. Gina DiGiacomo, '08, lost in tough consecutive sets by a final score of 6-3 and 7-6. Maggie Mullaney, '11, lost in an evenly contested matchup 6-4, 6-4. The talented Rhode Island Rams team improved to 2-0 in their young season.
One of the hurdles this team must overcome is simply a lack of experience at the collegiate level. Katy Borden, '11, and Mullaney are two women who have stepped into very important roles for this team rather early in their Saint Joseph's career. There is an adjustment period for any freshman coming to college, and this is twofold for an athlete trying to become acclimated to the heightened speed of the Division I game. Head Coach Al Laveson has confidence in the team's ability to improve as the season progresses.
"They are young and this is an experience for them, especially with doubles as most of these girls only played singles in high school," said Laveson. "Doubles is a learning game and they are learning how to play with a partner. These kids are very well-bonded; they will grow, and I will give them time to. The teams we are playing, like Rhode Island, are really experienced and talented, but we gave them a good battle."
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