Women’s Tennis Looks To Capture First Empire 8 Title

The Stevens Institute of Technology women’s tennis team, under the tutelage of fifth-year head coach Steve Gachko, enters the 2009-10 campaign with hopes of capturing its first-ever Empire 8 crown and with all but one starter returning from last season’s 12-6 squad, including four all-Empire 8 honorees, a seasoned Ducks lineup stands poised to compete for the conference’s top spot and the program’s first-ever NCAA Tournament berth.

“We’re really excited for the season. We have three freshmen, three sophomores, two juniors and a senior, so it’s still a really young class, but it’s a great group. They’re fun to work with and we look forward to seeing how they progress throughout the season,” explained Gachko. “But ultimately our goal, as it is every year, is to win the conference and advance to the NCAA Tournament and I think this year that’s a very realistic goal for us.”

Hoping to spearhead the Ducks’ quest for a conference title are juniors Allyson Kingman (Hamilton, N.J.) and Kendra Appleheimer (Brick, N.J.), who posted a combined 26-12 singles mark while helping Stevens to a 5-3 league ledger and a semifinals appearance in the Empire 8 conference tournament.

“Allyson is going to help us out tremendously. She’s been solid since she got here,” said Gachko. “Kendra also put a lot of work in during the offseason and I expect her to definitely step things up this year as well.”

Kingman, a first-team all-Empire 8 honoree, recorded a 14-5 mark in first and second flight singles as a sophomore after posting an 18-8 tally in No. 3 singles as a freshman. Appleheimer finished with a 12-7 record in fourth and fifth flight singles.

But in addition to their contributions on the court, Gachko hopes the squad’s pair of juniors, coupled with the team’s lone senior, co-captain Natalie Schloeder (Jackson, N.J.), will help guide the Stevens’ underclassmen by providing leadership and fostering a greater sense of team unity.

“We’re really going to look for co-captains Kendra Appleheimer and Natalie Schloeder to lead the way and lead by example and I expect Allyson to help out the younger players,” Gachko said. “Everyone has to push their teammates to be better at practice. The harder they work on and off the court, the better we’re going to be and the team chemistry and unity this year are going to be key. That was a strong point for us in the past and I think that’s only going to get stronger for us this year.”

Also returning to the Ducks are sophomores Nicole Portner (Shamong, N.J.), Mine Bese (Secaucus, N.J.), and Morgan Scalzi (Doylestown, Pa.). Portner, who earned second-team all-Empire 8 accolades as a freshman, posted a 13-7 singles record last season while competing in second and third flight singles. Bese, also a second-team all-conference performer, went 12-5 in third through sixth flight singles competition, while Scalzi went 12-6 in her first full-season as a member of the Ducks.

“I expect Nicole to step up this year and with a year under her belt I’m sure she’ll make more of an impact as well,” said Gachko.  “Morgan’s athleticism and competitiveness will help us throughout the season. Mine pulled out some tough wins last year and I expect her to continue to become more match tough this season.”

Rounding out the Ducks’ 2009-10 roster are a three talented freshmen in the form of Brooke Catanzano (Northport, N.Y), Alexandra Handel (Sparta, N.J.), and Victoria Tran (South Plainfield, N.J.), all of whom could play an integral role in the program’s success this season.

“I expect all three freshmen competing for starting spots, which will give us some much needed depth this year,” said Gachko. “Brooke is a good athlete and has a strong background with a lot of tournament experience, while Lexie’s court awareness and strong net game will allow her to be an immediate impact in our lineup this fall.”

Heading up the Ducks’ doubles combinations are veterans Kingman, Appleheimer, Portner, Bese and Scalzi. Kingman, who tallied a 13-7 mark last season in first flight doubles en route to all-conference first-team doubles accolades, has compiled a 31-12 record in top flight doubles in her first two seasons at Stevens. Appleheimer and Portner earned all-league second-team doubles honors last season after posting a 16-4 mark in No. 2 doubles for the Ducks, while Bese and Scalzi combined to go 13-3 in No. 3 doubles competition.

“Doubles is going to be another key for us,” Gachko said. “That’s always been a strong point for us and a huge part of every match. Even if we get two out of three, it’s a huge momentum boost for us going into singles and that’s something we’re going to try to continue to improve upon from last year going into this year.”

Stevens starts its season on the road at the College of New Jersey in Ewing, N.J. on September 1 before opening up league-play against Nazareth College and Rochester Institute of Technology on September 5 and 6. Stevens’ matches against Nazareth and RIT will be held at the Mercer County Tennis Center in West Windsor, N.J. while renovations are completed on the Stevens Tennis Courts.

“We start off the season at TCNJ which will be one of our toughest matches of the year,” explained Gachko. “They have the talent to be a top-10 caliber team in the country this year and then we face Nazareth and RIT. Last season we started off 0-2 against those two teams so it’s going to be key for us to start off strong against them.”

The Ducks close out a four game homestand with a pair of non-league matches against Rutgers-Newark and Drew University before hitting the road for three matches against Empire 8 rivals Alfred University and St. John Fisher College and non-conference foe Ramapo College.