Saturday, January 18
Blacksburg, Va.
6:30 p.m.
Davidson College Athletics
at
No. 54 Virginia Tech
The Senior quartet of (L-R) Brites Moniz-Soares, Elise Held, Tamara Hill and Nisha Crouser.
Photo by: Tim Cowie - DavidsonPhotos.com
Wildcat W. Tennis Opens 2014 Season at Virginia Tech
1/14/2014 11:05:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Gavin McFarlin - Assistant SID
2014 Schedule
2014 Roster
2014 Quick Facts
2014 Record Book (pdf)
DavidsonPhotos.com
DAVIDSON, N.C. — The Davidson women's tennis team opens their 2014 campaign on the road this weekend when they travel to Viriginia Tech Saturday, Jan. 18, for a 6:30 p.m. match against the Hokies.
The Wildcats will also play host to College of Charleston Sunday at 1 p.m., as it will start a stretch of six home matches in a total of eight until Feb. 21.
This marks the second year in a row the Wildcats head up to Blacksburg, Va., to face Tech. The 'Cats are still seeking their first win in the series, which is 18 matches old dating back to 1994. The Hokies captured a 7-0 victory a year ago.
Davidson has high hopes this year with the return of seven letterwinners as well as wrapping up its final season in the Southern Conference before it goes to the Atlantic 10 in 2014-15.
In anticipation of the 2014 season, below is a look at the Season Preview....
Now in her 32nd season at the helm, head coach Caroline Price will enter the 2014 campaign seeking to capture the program's first Southern Conference tournament title after finishing runner-up three times in the last nine years. It also marks the final year Davidson will compete in the SoCon as it moves to the Atlantic-10 in 2014-15.
The Wildcats are coming off a 9-12 mark overall and 2-8 in the SoCon a season ago. It was just the third time since 2001 they had a record below .500. Nine of the last 13 years they have had a winning mark, and of coach Price's 31 seasons, the Wildcats have finished at or above .500 in 23 of them. With last year's nine wins, coach Price pushed her career win total to 415.
This year's club will feature the return of six letterwinners, who all saw significant time in the starting lineup led by 2012 All-SoCon Second Team pick Brites Moniz-Soares and 2013 All-SoCon Freshman Team member Elaina Cummer.
Singles
Davidson finished with 51 singles wins last year, an improvement of 14 from the 2012 campaign. Nisha Crouser paced the team with 12 wins, getting eight of them at No. 4 singles which was tied for third-most in the SoCon.
• Senior Nisha Crouser: First on the team with 12 singles wins ... was named team's MVP ... played 16 matches at No. 2 and 4, getting 11 of her 12 wins there ... was a perfect 3-0 at No. 2 singles, with wins vs. No. 72 East Carolina, College of Charleston and Furman ... went an even 5-5 vs. the SoCon.
• Senior Elise Held: Played at the No. 3-6 singles slots during her third year ... played in 10 matches, going 4-6 ... was 2-0 at No. 4 singles, scoring a 6-0, 6-0 decision against Belmont Abbey and a 6-3, 3-6, 1-0 victory against Wingate.
• Senior Tamara Hill: Went 4-6 at No. 5 and 6 slots in singles ... earned the team's Vinson Award ... won first three matches to open junior season, including a pair of 6-0, 6-0 wins.
• Senior Brites Moniz-Soares: The Wildcats top singles player returns after tying for the second-most wins on the team with seven ... went 7-10 at No. 1 ... scored 30th career singles win with a 6-2, 6-1 victory against Samford in the first round of the SoCon Tournament ... closed the year winning three of four singles matches, with victories against Western Caorlina, Charlotte and Samford ... had a strong 2013 Fall season, winning a singles title at the Wake Forest Invitational in the "A" singles bracket.
• Junior Blake Nickles: Saw action in six singles matches last year, scoring first two career wins ... one of the wins came against Western Carolina, first collegiate SoCon victory.
• Sophomore Elaina Cummer: Named to the All-SoCon Freshman Team last year after going 7-14 in singles action ... played the No. 2 position, but saw action at No. 1 four times, going 3-1 ... opened freshman season winning six of first eight singles matches, including first three-set victory against USC Upstate 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 ... Had a solid Fall season, going 2-1 at CofC Invitational and 3-0 at the Charlotte Invitational.
• Sophomore Courtney McCray: Did not see any action in an official Spring match during first year ... saw action at the Coll. of Charleston Invitational and Wake Forest Invite over 2013 Fall season.
Newcomers
• Freshman Jenna Brunner: Comes to Davidson from West Forsyth High School in Atlanta, Ga. ... had an excellent Fall debut in 2013, going 2-1 at the Davidson Invitational with wins of 6-2, 6-3 and 6-3, 6-0 against Gardner-Webb and East Carolina ... reached the semifinals at the Wake Forest Invite ... netted a pair of wins in final Fall event at the Charlotte Invitational.
• Freshman Sarah Stein: Four-year letterwinner at Dublin Jerome as the No. 1 singles player ... a three-time all-state performer ... guided varsity team to a pair of state championships ... one-time individual state champion ... an All-Ohio peformer ... finished final prep year with a 21-2 record ... saw action in three of Davidson' four Fall events ... opened collegiate Fall career going 2-1 at the Davidson Invite with wins vs. Gardner-Webb and Campbell ... reached the semifinals on consolation side at Wake Forst Invite.
Doubles
Davidson's doubles teams finished the 2013 season with 28 wins and netted nine of them in SoCon matches. The Wildcats used eight doubles teams, compared to 17 different combinations at all three positions in 2011.
• No. 1 position: Moniz-Soares and Cummer return after going 8-10 at the top spot ... the duo collected eight of their wins vs. SoCon foes ... they won five of their first six matches to open the season, rattling off a five-match win streak against UNC Asheville, Radford, Gardner-Webb, USC Upstate and No. 72 East Carolina.
• No. 2 position: Three different teams were tried at the No. 2 slot, with Crouser and Stephanie Synn having the most success ... the duo went 9-7 overall and Crouser returns for her senior season ... they had a 5-5 record vs. the SoCon ... the pair closed the season on a four-match win streak ... earlier in the season Crouser and Synn had a five-match win streak, including scoring an 8-7 triumph vs. No. 72 East Carolina ... also seeing action at No. 2 was Held and Catherine Wood, who went 2-0 ... Hill and Nickles collected one of their two wins at the second positions ... combined, Davidson went 12-7 at the second doubles slot.
• No. 3 position: Davidson used five different teams at No. 3 doubles a year ago ... Frizzi Bschorer and Wood played 10 times there (2-8), while Held and Wood played four matches ... the Wildcats were just 5-14 at the third doubles slot and had just one SoCon victory.
The Schedule
Davidson will open the season on the road at Virginia Tech, before playing three straight matches at the friendly confines of Covington Tennis Courts, where it went 9-6 a year ago. The Wildcats have faced the Hokies 18 times, falling in all 18 of them. The Hokies went 14-12 a year ago and were ranked No. 69 in their final match.
Davidson will face College of Charleston, Radford and Brevard College at home in the next three matches. The Wildcats faced all three teams a year ago, going 2-1 in those matches. They are a perfect 8-0 vs. the Highlanders of Radford in the all-time series.
The Wildcats will be playing some new non-conference opponents this year as they face Barry, Florida International, Florida Atlantic and Holy Cross. Three of those matches will be on the road when Davidson travels to Florida, March 1-4.
Also on the schedule is state-border rival Winthrop and cross-county rival Charlotte. It will be the eighth time in the past nine years the Wildcats will face the Eagles, as they lead the all-time series 16-7, but have dropped the last last four straight meetings. Davidson and Charlotte have faced each other 27 times, with the 'Cats owning a 16-11 all-time record. The 49ers took a 4-3 decision a season ago and are coming off an 11-7 campaign in 2012-13.
Davidson begins its final season in the SoCon by starting on the road at Wofford, March 3. The Wildcats will play their next three at home against Chattanooga (Mar. 12), Elon (Mar. 15) and Samford (Mar. 16). Davidson has finished with at least seven wins in the SoCon in six of the last 10 years.
The SoCon Tournament takes place April 16-19 in Chattanooga, Tenn., as Chattanooga plays host. Davidson had an early exit last year, falling 4-1 to the Samford Bulldogs, who were seeded eighth, in the first round.
The College of Charleston women's tennis team, who moved to the CAA, won its fifth consecutive Southern Conference Tennis Tournament with a 4-3 victory over Elon last year. Prior to the past two years, Furman had won the past five championships.
The Wildcats have reached the finals three times in the past nine seasons, but have yet to bring home the tournament title.
2014 Roster
2014 Quick Facts
2014 Record Book (pdf)
DavidsonPhotos.com
DAVIDSON, N.C. — The Davidson women's tennis team opens their 2014 campaign on the road this weekend when they travel to Viriginia Tech Saturday, Jan. 18, for a 6:30 p.m. match against the Hokies.
The Wildcats will also play host to College of Charleston Sunday at 1 p.m., as it will start a stretch of six home matches in a total of eight until Feb. 21.
This marks the second year in a row the Wildcats head up to Blacksburg, Va., to face Tech. The 'Cats are still seeking their first win in the series, which is 18 matches old dating back to 1994. The Hokies captured a 7-0 victory a year ago.
Davidson has high hopes this year with the return of seven letterwinners as well as wrapping up its final season in the Southern Conference before it goes to the Atlantic 10 in 2014-15.
In anticipation of the 2014 season, below is a look at the Season Preview....
Now in her 32nd season at the helm, head coach Caroline Price will enter the 2014 campaign seeking to capture the program's first Southern Conference tournament title after finishing runner-up three times in the last nine years. It also marks the final year Davidson will compete in the SoCon as it moves to the Atlantic-10 in 2014-15.
The Wildcats are coming off a 9-12 mark overall and 2-8 in the SoCon a season ago. It was just the third time since 2001 they had a record below .500. Nine of the last 13 years they have had a winning mark, and of coach Price's 31 seasons, the Wildcats have finished at or above .500 in 23 of them. With last year's nine wins, coach Price pushed her career win total to 415.
This year's club will feature the return of six letterwinners, who all saw significant time in the starting lineup led by 2012 All-SoCon Second Team pick Brites Moniz-Soares and 2013 All-SoCon Freshman Team member Elaina Cummer.
Singles
Davidson finished with 51 singles wins last year, an improvement of 14 from the 2012 campaign. Nisha Crouser paced the team with 12 wins, getting eight of them at No. 4 singles which was tied for third-most in the SoCon.
• Senior Nisha Crouser: First on the team with 12 singles wins ... was named team's MVP ... played 16 matches at No. 2 and 4, getting 11 of her 12 wins there ... was a perfect 3-0 at No. 2 singles, with wins vs. No. 72 East Carolina, College of Charleston and Furman ... went an even 5-5 vs. the SoCon.
• Senior Elise Held: Played at the No. 3-6 singles slots during her third year ... played in 10 matches, going 4-6 ... was 2-0 at No. 4 singles, scoring a 6-0, 6-0 decision against Belmont Abbey and a 6-3, 3-6, 1-0 victory against Wingate.
• Senior Tamara Hill: Went 4-6 at No. 5 and 6 slots in singles ... earned the team's Vinson Award ... won first three matches to open junior season, including a pair of 6-0, 6-0 wins.
• Senior Brites Moniz-Soares: The Wildcats top singles player returns after tying for the second-most wins on the team with seven ... went 7-10 at No. 1 ... scored 30th career singles win with a 6-2, 6-1 victory against Samford in the first round of the SoCon Tournament ... closed the year winning three of four singles matches, with victories against Western Caorlina, Charlotte and Samford ... had a strong 2013 Fall season, winning a singles title at the Wake Forest Invitational in the "A" singles bracket.
• Junior Blake Nickles: Saw action in six singles matches last year, scoring first two career wins ... one of the wins came against Western Carolina, first collegiate SoCon victory.
• Sophomore Elaina Cummer: Named to the All-SoCon Freshman Team last year after going 7-14 in singles action ... played the No. 2 position, but saw action at No. 1 four times, going 3-1 ... opened freshman season winning six of first eight singles matches, including first three-set victory against USC Upstate 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 ... Had a solid Fall season, going 2-1 at CofC Invitational and 3-0 at the Charlotte Invitational.
• Sophomore Courtney McCray: Did not see any action in an official Spring match during first year ... saw action at the Coll. of Charleston Invitational and Wake Forest Invite over 2013 Fall season.
Newcomers
• Freshman Jenna Brunner: Comes to Davidson from West Forsyth High School in Atlanta, Ga. ... had an excellent Fall debut in 2013, going 2-1 at the Davidson Invitational with wins of 6-2, 6-3 and 6-3, 6-0 against Gardner-Webb and East Carolina ... reached the semifinals at the Wake Forest Invite ... netted a pair of wins in final Fall event at the Charlotte Invitational.
• Freshman Sarah Stein: Four-year letterwinner at Dublin Jerome as the No. 1 singles player ... a three-time all-state performer ... guided varsity team to a pair of state championships ... one-time individual state champion ... an All-Ohio peformer ... finished final prep year with a 21-2 record ... saw action in three of Davidson' four Fall events ... opened collegiate Fall career going 2-1 at the Davidson Invite with wins vs. Gardner-Webb and Campbell ... reached the semifinals on consolation side at Wake Forst Invite.
Doubles
Davidson's doubles teams finished the 2013 season with 28 wins and netted nine of them in SoCon matches. The Wildcats used eight doubles teams, compared to 17 different combinations at all three positions in 2011.
• No. 1 position: Moniz-Soares and Cummer return after going 8-10 at the top spot ... the duo collected eight of their wins vs. SoCon foes ... they won five of their first six matches to open the season, rattling off a five-match win streak against UNC Asheville, Radford, Gardner-Webb, USC Upstate and No. 72 East Carolina.
• No. 2 position: Three different teams were tried at the No. 2 slot, with Crouser and Stephanie Synn having the most success ... the duo went 9-7 overall and Crouser returns for her senior season ... they had a 5-5 record vs. the SoCon ... the pair closed the season on a four-match win streak ... earlier in the season Crouser and Synn had a five-match win streak, including scoring an 8-7 triumph vs. No. 72 East Carolina ... also seeing action at No. 2 was Held and Catherine Wood, who went 2-0 ... Hill and Nickles collected one of their two wins at the second positions ... combined, Davidson went 12-7 at the second doubles slot.
• No. 3 position: Davidson used five different teams at No. 3 doubles a year ago ... Frizzi Bschorer and Wood played 10 times there (2-8), while Held and Wood played four matches ... the Wildcats were just 5-14 at the third doubles slot and had just one SoCon victory.
The Schedule
Davidson will open the season on the road at Virginia Tech, before playing three straight matches at the friendly confines of Covington Tennis Courts, where it went 9-6 a year ago. The Wildcats have faced the Hokies 18 times, falling in all 18 of them. The Hokies went 14-12 a year ago and were ranked No. 69 in their final match.
Davidson will face College of Charleston, Radford and Brevard College at home in the next three matches. The Wildcats faced all three teams a year ago, going 2-1 in those matches. They are a perfect 8-0 vs. the Highlanders of Radford in the all-time series.
The Wildcats will be playing some new non-conference opponents this year as they face Barry, Florida International, Florida Atlantic and Holy Cross. Three of those matches will be on the road when Davidson travels to Florida, March 1-4.
Also on the schedule is state-border rival Winthrop and cross-county rival Charlotte. It will be the eighth time in the past nine years the Wildcats will face the Eagles, as they lead the all-time series 16-7, but have dropped the last last four straight meetings. Davidson and Charlotte have faced each other 27 times, with the 'Cats owning a 16-11 all-time record. The 49ers took a 4-3 decision a season ago and are coming off an 11-7 campaign in 2012-13.
Davidson begins its final season in the SoCon by starting on the road at Wofford, March 3. The Wildcats will play their next three at home against Chattanooga (Mar. 12), Elon (Mar. 15) and Samford (Mar. 16). Davidson has finished with at least seven wins in the SoCon in six of the last 10 years.
The SoCon Tournament takes place April 16-19 in Chattanooga, Tenn., as Chattanooga plays host. Davidson had an early exit last year, falling 4-1 to the Samford Bulldogs, who were seeded eighth, in the first round.
The College of Charleston women's tennis team, who moved to the CAA, won its fifth consecutive Southern Conference Tennis Tournament with a 4-3 victory over Elon last year. Prior to the past two years, Furman had won the past five championships.
The Wildcats have reached the finals three times in the past nine seasons, but have yet to bring home the tournament title.
Women's Tennis Virtual Tour
Friday, July 17
Play From Home: Women's Tennis' Mira Gladstone
Tuesday, May 05
Women's Tennis vs Kennesaw State Recap
Thursday, February 13
Davidson moves to the Atlantic 10
Sunday, August 18
