Women’s Tennis Looking to Serve up Conference Title in First Season in Empire 8

HOBOKEN, N.J. (August 28, 2007) – Having reached the finals of the Skyline Conference Tournament in each of the last four seasons, the Stevens Institute of Technology women’s tennis team will take a crack at capturing its first league title since 2001 as the Ducks begin their first season in the Empire 8 in 2007-08. Stevens features a lineup that includes five returning players from last year as well as three new faces.

Two-time Skyline Conference Player of the Year Dana Bacalla (Portland, Ore.) will head into her senior season as the unquestioned leader of the Ducks. In her first three seasons with the team, Bacalla has amassed 49 singles victories. In 2006-07, she went 18-2 overall in singles play with a perfect 11-0 mark in dual matches. Bacalla, who reached the finals of the ITA Northeast Regional Tournament last year, will once again play first singles and doubles.

“Dana really does a great job of bringing the team together, and she is going to have an opportunity to be one of the top-ranked players in the region,” Head Coach Steve Gachko (Westfield, N.J.) said. “By playing tougher teams this year, we hope that she can earn a higher seed and make another strong run during ITA’s.”

At second through fifth singles, the Ducks have a very competitive lineup that includes depth and experience as well as up-and-coming players. Juniors Whitney Bender (Tijeras, N.M.) and Rebecca Ryba (Old Brookville, N.J.) have been a staple of the Stevens lineup over the last two years.

In 2006-07, Bender registered eight singles victories while playing out of the second flight. She also went 12-4 in doubles en route to earning first-team All-Skyline honors. Ryba was second on the team with nine singles victories and tied for the lead with 12 doubles wins. She was a Skyline second-team all-star.

“Whitney has developed into a very strong doubles player and brings a lot of energy to the team,” Gachko said. “Rebecca is probably our best competitor and will continue to work on her game to limit her weaknesses. She has improved her doubles’ play considerably in the last year.”

The Ducks will also turn to a pair of freshmen to play a big role in the middle of the singles’ rotation. Allyson Kingman (Hamilton, N.J.) and Kendra Appleheimer (Brick, N.J.) both possess tremendous upside and are talented student-athletes that work extremely hard.

Kingman is a left-handed player who uses her court intelligence to out-last opponents. She played first singles at Hamilton High School East and earned most valuable player honors as a senior. Kingman was also named the Scholar-Athlete of the Year and valedictorian of the Class of 2007. Appleheimer played first singles at Brick Township High School, where she was the salutatorian of the Class of 2007. She also received the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Scholar-Athlete Award as a senior.

At the bottom of the singles’ lineup, Stevens will turn to sophomores Jaime Lew (Secaucus, N.J.) and Natalie Schloeder (Jackson, N.J.) to provide stability and some key victories. Schloeder transferred to Stevens after spending one year at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. The Ducks will also count on senior Jacqueline Carbone (Basking Ridge, N.J.), who is expected to return in the second semester following the completion of her co-operative education assignment.

“I truly feel that we have a stronger team than last year,” Gachko stated. “Our expectations are a lot higher, and we feel that we should be in the top tier in the Empire 8.”

In recent years, Ithaca College has dominated the Empire 8. In fact, the Bombers have won two straight and five of the last eight conference titles. Just last season, Ithaca recorded its first-ever NCAA Tournament victory with a 5-2 win over Simmons College in the opening round.

“The Empire 8 is certainly a higher-caliber conference than we are accustomed to, and it will be more challenging,” Gachko said. “We view this as a great chance to see new teams and visit new places. I feel that it is going to push us to raise our level of play because we are going to be around better competition.”

The winner of the 2007 Empire 8 Championship will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. This is the first time in program history that the Stevens women’s tennis team has been in a conference that carries an automatic qualifier.

The Ducks will open the season by hosting conference foes Nazareth College and Rochester Institute of Technology over Labor Day Weekend. After a home match with Fairleigh Dickinson University on September 5, Stevens will hit the road for five straight contests. The ITA Regional Championship is set for September 21-23.

Ithaca is slated to come to Hoboken for a showdown on October 6 at noon. The Empire 8 Championship is set for October 13-14.