Women's tennis returns with their eyes on the prize

Losing and replacing the Centennial Conference player of the year will be a difficult obstacle for the Muhlenberg Women’s Tennis team to overcome. However, with excellent offseason improvements from each team member and great team camaraderie, the Mules are looking to have a winning season and make a trip to the Centennial Conference playoffs.

Head Coach Linda Andrews notes that the loss of Sarah Finger, who went undefeated last season and earned both the Centennial Conference and Lehigh Valley player of the year “is a big position to fill.” Jamie Rosenblum ‘17 will take over the number one spot, as Andrews states that she “is greatly improved from last season. I expect that she will be very competitive and have a good showing at number one.” Rosenblum has moved up in both the singles and doubles line-up each year and her experience is vital to the team’s success. The other two seniors on the team, Brittany Gould and Hannah Bobker, are looking to step up as Andrews praises their development over the offseason. “They are also very much improved and should make a great impact on the team.”

Other than the three seniors, the Mules have one other upperclassman, Hannah Molk ‘18, who brings considerable match play experience to the Mules and has been slotted among the top of the Mules singles and doubles line-up since her freshman year. The remaining members of the squad are Meghan Olsen ‘19, Carina Nicolaisen ‘19, Jourdyn Buckheit ‘19, and newcomer Shelby Knafo ‘19. Andrews notes that the sophomore returners’ “level of play has also improved from last season and I expect a good season from them.” Knafo in particular “is looking good at practice and she should also be an impact player this season.”

With Coach Andrews giving each team member high praise for this season, she remarks, “Our team goal is always to have a winning season and make the team playoffs at the end of the season.” During the offseason, the Mules work to achieve that goal by practicing four days a week and doing fitness workouts two days per week. Rosenblum states that along with a winning season and a trip to the Centennial Conference playoffs, “the expectations for the team are to try our best and make every match count.” The Mules have not made the Centennial Conference playoffs since 2014, where they were the fifth and final seed. Johns Hopkins has dominated the Centennial Conference, as they have won the last nine championships. They are easily the toughest Centennial Conference foe. The majority of the Centennial Conference has also had their fair share of playoff appearances, most notably Swarthmore, Washington, and Haverford, who are consistently in the playoffs.

Andrews exclaims, “Our biggest strengths are the level of commitment from all members of the team and their willingness to work hard in order to improve.’’ With this promising outlook, Rosenblum says that “the team is looking forward to seeing our improvements after working hard in the offseason.” With three seniors on the team, the Mules will have great team leadership, and Rosenblum states, “as a senior I want to make sure that everyone enjoys the season and plays their best.” The Mules are also a tight-knit team that “hangs out all the time and gets breakfast and dinner a lot.

The team’s willingness to play to the best of their abilities and improvement from every team member during the offseason should help the Mules to be a solid Centennial Conference team. Johns Hopkins will likely pose the greatest threat to the Mules in the Centennial Conference, but a trip to the playoffs is without a doubt in reach for the Mules.

Photos courtesy of Muhlenberg Athletics