Ask the Muhlenberg women’s tennis players and coaches what their expectations are for this season, and all of them will tell you that their goal is to qualify for the Centennial Conference championships.

A year after losing an All-American to graduation, some teams might not be so confident. But the Mules have set the bar high and are prepared to give it all they’ve got, beginning with a match the The College of New Jersey on Sunday.

“We have a bunch of great players on this team, and we’re always striving to do our best,” said junior Jacquelyn Magner, who went 5-3 in CC doubles competition last year.

Kimmelman (top left) and Powell were the winningest doubles pair for the Mules last season, earning six wins in dual matches.

Muhlenberg returns three key starters from its 2006 squad that went 8-2 in CC play and qualified for the conference tournament.

The lone senior and team captain, Pam Kimmelman, enters her final season having already played her way into the Muhlenberg record books. After three seasons with the Mules, she ranks fifth all-time with 62 combined wins in spring dual matches, including 32 in doubles (fifth all-time) and 30 in singles (tied for eighth all-time).

Kimmelman has also compiled an impressive 23-5 record in CC singles matches, and if she can continue to improve upon that success, she will have a good chance of helping her team reach the tournament.

Sophomores Jenn Powell and Carly Rotfeld also return to the Mules, after making an immediate impact on the team their freshman year. Together they tallied 33 combined wins, and each compiled an 8-2 record in CC singles matches. Rotfeld earned All-CC honors as a doubles player. With a year of experience now under their belts, they have the potential to be an even stronger force for Muhlenberg this year.

But it might just be what happens off the court that helps the Mules be most successful this season.

“We’re making an effort to really get to know each other so that we can have a good time and support each other and cheer each other on,” Kimmelman said. “We’re going to have a good time playing together this year.”