February 9, 2007

Women’s Tennis Hosts Upstate Foe in Tune-Up

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Having put its first tournament of the spring season behind it, the women’s tennis team gears up for its second match against Albany on Saturday, at noon at the Reis Tennis Center. With the team’s recent success in the Cornell Winter Invitational, the Red is confident heading into the upcoming match.

“Albany is not all that strong,” Glitz said. “We’re essentially using this match as practice. We have Temple and Army coming up and we’re using this match to get us ready.”
[img_assist|nid=21258|title=Return this.|desc=Senior Kasia Preneta hits the ball during the final match of the Cornell Fall Invitational on Sept. 10, a 6-4, 7-5 loss.|link=none|align=left|width=85|height=100]
Albany’s Great Danes held a fall record of 8-21 and have a current spring record of 0-2, with recent losses to Dartmouth, 7-0, and UMass, 6-1. Such statistics assure head coach Laura Glitz of her team’s ability to prolong its success, and she hopes to use the experience in preparation for its upcoming competition.

Strong performances by freshman Susan Sullivan, sophomore Elizabeth Googe, senior Nisha Suda and classmate Kasia Preneta at the recent Cornell Winter Invitational attest to the team’s strength and validates its hard work. As a result and because of her confidence, Glitz is looking to give her starting lineup a break in the upcoming match against the Great Danes.

“We just came off a tournament two weeks ago,” Glitz said, “And we have a scrimmage against SUNY Binghamton tonight. So I’m thinking of giving a few of my starters a break this weekend and using some of my other girls.”

However, Glitz is wary of underestimating the competition and steers away from over confidence. She acknowledges the importance of every match and the risks that accompany them.

“This is our first dual match of the season and the first year we’ve played Albany,” Glitz said. “Looking at the results, they lost to both Dartmouth and UMass already. But you never know, we always have to be ready.”

Being only the second match of the spring season, Glitz agrees that no matter what caliber team it faces, these early matches set precedent for the whole season. They will ultimately affect the team’s performance throughout the spring and even determine whether or not it achieves its long-term goals.

“We want to compete for the Ivy championship, so everything matters at this point,” Glitz said. “We have stiffer competition coming up with Army and Temple in the near future, but after those matches things get really tough.”