Season Preview
Women’s tennis to rely on experienced junior class

On one bus ride home from an away match last season the Muhlenberg women’s tennis team held a relaxing, albeit cramped, Seder to celebrate Passover.

Following a season in which the Mules were knocked out of the Centennial Conference playoffs in the first round for the second straight year, they’ll be looking to pass over that hump and make their way to the finals.

Druker has combined with Sutker for 20 career doubles wins, just one shy of the all-time record for a team at Muhlenberg. Winston and Schmidt are only one win behind at 19.

But with their No. 1 and No. 3 singles players - who also formed their top doubles pair - lost to graduation, doing so won’t be easy.

“It will be a challenge, but one that we can step up to,” said junior Sara Sutker. “Our juniors will have to move up the ladder.”

Another challenge will be getting into form after having no matches or tournaments in the fall for the first time in five years and playing just one dual match, a 9-0 loss to No. 21 Vassar, before spring break.

Sutker leads the four captains with 41 career combined wins. Her 24 last year tied for the second most ever in a season at Muhlenberg.

“We’re used to playing in the fall so we would have preferred to have matches, but we didn’t really have a team,” noted Sutker, referring to the fact that two Mules were abroad for the fall semester. “We just need to play more matches and keep practicing.”

If a lack of chances to play has hurt Muhlenberg, experience will almost certainly make up for it. Despite having no seniors, the Mules return four letterwinners - all of whom are junior captains - with considerable experience. Over the past two years the captains took up four singles spots and formed two doubles teams, helping Muhlenberg to an 8-2 mark in the CC last season and a 10-5 record overall.

“We have a lot of experience,” said Sutker. “And now we’ve had to step up to the role of captains as juniors.”

Caitie Druker was the highest of the current juniors on the ladder a year ago. She went 6-4 at No. 2 singles in CC matches and 7-8 overall in the spring. Sutker was next, and she posted a remarkable record at No. 4 singles, going 9-1 in the CC and 12-3 overall in the spring.

Danielle Winston was similarly impressive at No. 5 singles, going 5-1 in the CC and 7-2 overall. In her first year playing singles regularly, Lindsay Schmidt went 4-5 overall, beginning at No. 6 and then moving to No. 5 when Winston went down with an injury.

The four junior captains combined for remarkable success in doubles in 2009, and each team will move up one spot in 2010. Druker and Sutker combined to go 9-1 in the CC and 12-3 overall in the spring at No. 2 doubles - the fourth-most doubles wins in a season in Muhlenberg history. Winston and Schmidt were not far behind, finishing 6-1 in-conference, 8-2 in the spring and 9-0 in the fall, including two tournament titles, at No. 3.

Two more juniors, Deniz Uzel and Chelsey Waldron, will be called upon to step up after seeing limited action their first two years.

Now all that’s left is for Muhlenberg to finally hit the court after not playing in the fall. And the Mules will be on it plenty, with 14 matches in fewer than six weeks.

“We’re excited,” commented Sutker. “It’s going to be tough but fun.”