The Dartmouth women's tennis team, coming off a 10-8 mark a year ago, including a 4-3 record in Ivy League competition, begins its season tomorrow with high hopes.
Eight letter-winners, comprising the majority of the team's lineup are returning this season, which starts with the Cissie Leary Tournament at Penn, comprising the majority of their lineup.
The team graduated two of its stars, four-time All-Ivy singles player Rebecca Dirksen '00 and her All-Ivy doubles partner Allison Taff '00. But it may have enough experience and young talent to fill the void.
At the top of the team would be Captain Courtney Smalley '01, who was 6-12 as the team's fifth singles player and 6-9 in doubles last season. However, Smalley will miss the fall invitationals while on a foreign-study program in South Africa.
Carly Bashleben '02 and Sarita Yardi '02 will form the core of this fall's team as its first and second singles players, and most likely as the team's first doubles combination. Bashleben amassed a 12-6 record last year at third and fourth singles, while Yardi checked in with a 10-8 mark between first and second singles. The two also formed Dartmouth's 14-2 second doubles team.
The Green can also expect solid senior leadership from Carolyn Roth '01 and Sarah Lodewick '01.
Lodewick was a key player early in the season last year, but fell out of the starting lineup prior to the start of the Ivy schedule. She looks to be a doubles fixture this year, and should return to the singles courts as well.
Roth broke into the starting group to stay at the beginning of the Ivy League schedule. She finished 4-7 at sixth singles and 2-4 at third doubles. She will play an even bigger role this year.
The team also returns Lisa Francazio '03 and Jenny Stewart '03, both of whom saw limited time, filling in for injured captain Rebecca Dirksen last year. These sophomores will challenge for spots in the lineup, and could be a major factor in continuing the team's winning record. At least four new freshmen will join the team.
Coach Jennifer Callen begins her second year as coach with this well-rounded mix of veterans and young talent. The Green seem ready to contend for the Ivy League title with the likes of two-time defending champ Harvard and perennial high finisher Princeton.
The Dartmouth men's tennis team begins its season a week from Saturday at the Yale Invitational. The Big Green hope to improve on last season's 5-15 overall record, and especially its 0-7 Ivy League mark.
The Green will have to do so without last year's senior stars, Rob Chen '00 and Andrew Evans '00, and will need some unheralded players to pick up the slack.
Dartmouth's number one singles this year looks to be Jeff Sloves '02, who played second singles last year, amassing an 8-12 record. Another returning letterman, Greg d'Incelli '03, will take Sloves' spot at number two, after a year in which he bounced between third and fifth singles, finishing with an 8-12 mark. These two will have to lead this team if it hopes to make a run at an Ivy title.
Sloves, for one, has a very good opinion of this year's squad.
"We're a much stronger team than last year from our depth on the bottom all the way to the players on the top," he said.
Senior Harlan Thompson and sophomore Jon Powell also figure to have singles slots after making major contributions in singles last year. Doubles fixtures Parashar Ranade '02 and Matt Young '03 will look to step up into the singles ranks as well as improving their respective 2-11 and 2-9 doubles standings.
The young Dartmouth team will need some leadership from seniors David Floren, David Martin, and Lacary Sharpe. The trio played few matches last year, but will serve a key role either as players or background figures if the Green are to succeed.
Returning underclassmen Ajay Prakash '02,Tyler Slade '02 and Sam Rothenberg '03 hope to crack the lineup and stay there. In addition there are a number of freshmen on the team, several of whom were nationally ranked in juniors, and who are competing for competing slots.
Coach Chuck Kinyon begins his 18th year at the helm in hopes of adding a third Ivy League title to his 1992 and '97 championships.
Sloves thinks it can be done.
"We're all in really good shape, and put in some good effort over the offseason, and we're ready to go in the Yale Invitational," he said.
