Women's Tennis Season Opens at BGSU this Weekend
09.15.06 | Women's Tennis
Sept. 15, 2006
CINCINNATI - Welcoming back a trio of talented seniors, the Xavier University women's tennis begins its season this weekend at the Bowling Green Invitational. Senior captains Jackie Vilines, Alicia Papa and Kate Lohner will look to lead the experienced team back to the Atlantic 10 Championship, where the Musketeers took fourth last season.
Lohner, a three-time ITA Scholar-Athlete selection, was 7-2 in singles play last season, but a team-best 21-13 in doubles. That doubles mark included a 3-1 record with current sophomore Jeanette Feider at the A-10 Championship.
Papa is the defending flight winner at the BGSU Invitational, as she won 10 of her first 11 singles matches last season (also winning her flight at the Chicago State Windy City Fall Invitational). She was 14-15 last year in singles and 15-5 in doubles.
Vilines, who went 17-16 in singles play and 18-8 in doubles, owns a 115-63 record all-time in singles and doubles combined. The senior went 2-1 in singles play at the A-10 Championship and was a member of the A-10 Commissioner's Honor Roll.
Hall of Fame head coach Jim Brockhoff is entering his 34th year as the women's head coach and has coached the men's team at XU for 44 years. Brockhoff, who quickly approaches win No. 1,000 of his career, owns a career mark of 976-560 (.635).
The team will have to replace the loss of three seniors to graduation - Kristen Clary, Sarah Potts and Emily Tuchscherer. The three totaled 62 singles victories and 45 doubles wins last season.
Along with the seniors, Brockhoff returns junior Annie Diedalis, two sophomores (Feider, Kara Courtney) and welcomes three new faces - freshmen Jill Ducro and Kaitlyn Zinn, along with sophomore Jarmilla Kavecanska.
Courtney's 23 singles victories last season was tops among the returnees, Diedalis went 10-7 in singles and 11-7 in doubles, while Feider went 10-3 and 19-9, respectively.
Ducro, from nearby Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy was her conference's Player of the Year and played top singles for three season after winning a Division II state doubles titles. Zinn, from Loveland High School, won four straight conference titles and was Player of the Year three times. Kavecanska did not compete for XU last season but played in the first singles spot nearby Mariemont High School.
The women's team is on the road throughout the fall season and plays its first matches at home during the indoor season Feb. 3 and 4 versus Southern Illinois and Rutgers.
Players Mentioned
