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For the third year in a row, the Fairfield Women’s tennis team has been picked to finish at the top of the Metro-Atlantic Athletic Conference.
According to the votes by the league’s head coaches, the Stags received a total of 49 points in the poll and the selection as the top finishers amongst the other MAAC teams.
Last season, the team went 19-6 overall and had an undefeated 7-0 record in regular season conference play.
Their success did not end there.
Their impressive record led them to a second consecutive MAAC Championship and Fairfield’s third-ever NCAA tournament bid.
The Stags will have All-MAAC Selections, Kristin Liu ’11 and Alyssa Ruiz ’11, returning this year, as well as sophomore Nikki Jackson, all of whom have proved to be powerhouse competitors on the court. Fairfield also welcomes five newcomers to the team, Caroline Emhardt ’14, Carolina Koladzyn ’14, Victoria Pirrello ’14, Sharissa Ryan ’14, and Monica Yajima ’14.
Although the Stags have a young team, Liu says that it should not pose as problem once the season gets underway.
“Last year we had four graduating seniors and this year we have five freshmen. Our team is relatively young, leaving Alyssa and I the only upperclassmen,” Liu said. “We just try to have the same goals in mind which [are] to work hard, have a winning season, and win the MAAC– That’s what keeps us as a team.”
Even though the team consists of mainly new players, Liu and her few fellow upperclassmen do not think it will affect their chances of winning the MAAC.
“Our team may be young, but it may also be the most talented recruitment class Fairfield women’s tennis has ever had. All our new members have been playing USTA tournaments all their lives so the competition aspect is not foreign to them,” she explained. “In previous years, our team cohesiveness has contributed most to our success. If our bond can be as strong as it has been in the past years, we’re definitely going to have great success this season.”
The coaching staffs for the Men’s and Women’s tennis teams have proven to be an invaluable aspect of the winning seasons this team has experienced. Head Coach Ed Paige is in his fifth season and coaches both the Men’s and Women’s teams. Assistant coaches Ryan Berthod and Marisa Voloshin are both Fairfield graduates and were key contributors during their Fairfield tennis careers.
Berthod graduated from Fairfield in 2010 as the Stags’ combined victories leader. In his final years as a Stag, Berthod earned All-MAAC Second Team honors in both singles and doubles; he went 18-14 overall in singles and 26-13 in doubles. He also advanced to the Round of 32 doubles at the ITA Regionals. Voloshin is in her second season as an assistant coach. While playing on the courts as a Stag, she helped the Fairfield Women’s tennis team to a MAAC Tournament Championship and an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2009 as a team captain. She also earned All-MAAC honors for her doubles play with partner Dana Postupack and left Fairfield with a career record of 37-16.
“We are lucky to have Ryan and Marisa as our assistant coaches this year. They both have had great success as previous members of the Fairfield teams and their guidance, along with our head coach Ed Paige, will contribute a great deal to both teams this season,” said Liu when asked about the impact of the coaching staff.
Tennis may not be the most popular spectator sport, as it has to compete with lacrosse, baseball and other spring sporting events, but Liu and her teammates have proven that tennis is a tough sport with the potential to be extremely rewarding.
“Tennis may look like an easy sport: you have a racquet in your hand, you move, and hit the ball,” she explained.
“Easier said than done. The hardest part of tennis is the mental aspect of it, which I think is the most challenging part of the game. You can have the greatest strokes, be the fastest mover on court, but if you are not mentally focused in your match, it’s hard to win.”
Liu and her teammates know their goals for the season and what is at stake with every match that they play. The thought of living up to the success that is expected of this team has not caused fear or uncertainty amongst the players, but rather acted as a motivator to train harder, play better, and come together as a team.
“There’s no doubt that our team this year is the most talented Fairfield women’s tennis has ever been. We’ve been lucky to have talented freshmen joining the team and I feel very confident that we can live up to the expectations of winning the MAAC for the third consecutive year in a row,” Liu noted. “It will be a great accomplishment not only for me, but definitely for Fairfield athletics.”
Hopefully the Stags will channel the same winning mentality that they have had these past two years to bring home another MAAC Championship and earn another trip to the NCAA tournament.
The 2011 MAAC Men’s and Women’s Tennis Championships will take place at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y. from April 20-21.
So far, the Stags are 2-1 with victories over Manhattan, 7-0, and Fordham, 5-2.
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