2002-03 Women's Tennis Outlook
USI women's tennis established
as a top team in the GLVC
The University of Southern Indiana women's tennis team needs to take one more
step to emerge from the shadows and into the regional spotlight. The Screaming
Eagles have made large strides the last two seasons toward establishing
themselves as one of the top teams in the Great Lakes Valley Conference and the Midwest Region with a second-straight second place finish in the league
last fall. USI finished the year with a 13-3 overall record, 8-1 in the GLVC.
USI has been dominating in the GLVC, going 21-5 against conference opponents. All five losses have come at the hands of Northern Kentucky University, which has won the GLVC championship the last two seasons.
The Screaming Eagles, under the direction of Head Coach Keely Porter, have finished in the upper half of the GLVC six of the last 11 seasons and accumulated a record of 63-40. Overall, the Eagles are 99-61 (.619) going into the spring season.
The Eagles will be led into 2002-03 by three-time All-GLVC performer
Emily Blinzinger (Oakland City, Indiana), a senior.
Blinzinger, who was 13-4 overall in singles play last season, continued the torrid pace of the last two season at number two singles. The
senior, who advanced to the quarterfinals of the Intercollegiate Tennis
Association Mid-American Regional for the first time last fall, is 46-15 overall
in three seasons.
Entering her final season, Blinzinger is rewriting the USI record book. She is the all-time leader in singles wins (46) and combined victories (83) and needs just four more wins to take over the all-time lead for doubles victories.
The big addition to the USI 2001-02 line-up was junior Kathleen Davis (Sullivan, Indiana). Davis, whose brother Ethan played for the men's squad, was 14-2 overall and a perfect 9-0 in the GLVC. In dual matches, Davis was 12-1 at number five singles.
USI is steady in the middle of the line-up with the return of junior
Nichole Freyberger (Jasper, Indiana). Freyberger, who was Verizon
Academic All-District, broke into double-digits with a 10-6 overall record, 7-2 in the conference.
Sophomore Kalie Ackerman (Allendale, Illinois) provides the Eagles
with a solid foundation at the bottom of the line up. Ackerman was 8-4 overall, a solid 6-3
in the GLVC as a freshman.
The Eagles will have to fill some holes in doubles action to be successful in 2002-03. Blinzinger and senior Jamie Carie (Washington, Indiana) will need new partners with the graduation of Michelle Lenahan and Gwen Gosman. Blinzinger and Lenahan combined for a team best 12-6 overall record, while Gosman and Carier were 10-6.
The only doubles combination returning for the Eagles is Freyberger and Davis. The pair were 9-7 overall, 5-4 in the GLVC.
Porter, the 2001 GLVC Coach of the Year, has added depth to the USI roster with the addition of five freshmen, led by Ashley Rees (Vincennes, Indiana). Rees was named All-State and an Indiana All-Star in 2002 while attending Vincennes Lincoln High School. She also was a four-time All-Big 8 Conference performer and three-time All-District performer at VLHS.
In addition to Rees, Cassandra Froderman (Brazil, Indiana), Jamie Jaenicke (Kokomo, Indiana), , Elizabeth Van Handel (Greenwood, Indiana), and Laura Watkins (Worthington, Indiana) have joined the team in 2002-03.
