University of Washington Official Athletic Site - Women's Tennis
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The momentum is building within the Washington women's tennis program.
Last season ended with the Huskies reaching the NCAA West Regionals and finishing in the nation's top 65 for the first time in school history. This season began with a new coaching staff, four additions to the roster, and a preseason ranking of 61st. And with the looks of it, things will only get better.
First-year coach Patty Fendick McCain inherited a squad that, despite having lost its No. 1 singles player and a member of its top doubles duo, is equipped to continue UW's surge toward becoming a national contender/a perennial NCAA tournament participant. The group already has exhibited its strong will to improve.
"When I first came in, I was very impressed with the way the athletes were talking about how hard they were willing to work to become better as individual players," McCain marveled. "Whenever you have a team of eight to 11 people who are working so hard to become better, that's always going to strengthen the team unit. It pushes everyone to become better."
McCain can speak from experience that when the entire team is working hard, it pays off. A two-time NCAA singles champion at Stanford University, she helped the Cardinal win the NCAA team title in 1984, 1986 and 1987. She also went on to a successful career on the WTA Tour from 1987 to 1995, ranking as high as fourth in doubles and 19th in singles.
"Our team, like the team I was on at Stanford, has eight to 11 leaders on it," McCain explained. "Somebody is always able to step up and fill the gap. All of the players have learned to become more self-confident through their hard work, and that has added to their leadership abilities."
Two seniors serving as co-captains, Kari Luna and Kory Sosnowy, are exceptional leaders by example. Luna overcame shoulder surgery performed last spring and brings an intense, confident attitude to the game that is contagious. Sosnowy, who spent the fall recovering from shoulder surgery, teamed with Katherine Costain last year to form a potent doubles combination that finished the season ranked No. 52 in the country.
"Kari has a strong personality and is not intimidated by anyone," McCain said. "Kori also has a lot to add to the team. She hits the ball hard, has a great personality and good experience, and she is regaining her health and confidence after her surgery."
With three different countries represented among the four seniors, one junior, four sophomores and two freshmen, achieving a team chemistry that breeds success can be difficult. But McCain believes that hurdle has been cleared.
"There are so many different personalities on this team that, at first, the athletes seemed to be getting bogged down in the differences instead of focusing on the goal at hand: to become better tennis players," McCain said. "Now, all of those personalities are coming together to form this incredible machine."
Two parts of that machine entered the season ranked among the nation's top 35 and will fill UW's top two singles spots. Sophomore Zuzana Stunova, a native of the Czech Republic and ranked No. 27, finished the 1997 season playing No. 2 singles for UW and was the only Husky to win her postseason match against top-seed Pepperdine. Freshman Kristina Kraszewski has made an immediate impact on the collegiate tennis scene with her national ranking of 34th. Both view themselves as winners and are helping spread that demeanor among their teammates.
"Zuzana is our little champion," McCain described. "She's not very tall but has the heart and competitive spirit of a champion, and her game is coming along to prove it. Kristina stepped in the door with a pro-style game, and she is pushing herself hard to round out the rough edges."
Senior Erica Stoloff is the veteran and competitive leader of UW's remaining starters. Her ability to overcome injuries and adversity with a "never say die" attitude provides great inspiration to her teammates and coaches alike.
A trio of sophomores also will figure into UW's attack. Peggy Wu has emerged as the No. 3 starter. With early season wins over players from Cal, Houston and Arizona State, she is the team's "diamond in the rough," McCain said. Jennifer Svanfeldt established herself as a singles starter when she used her tenacity and speed about the court to advance to the fourth round of the Rolex regional tournament. Zeta Wagner is looking to build on the strong freshman campaign she had last year with her hard-hitting, fast-court style of play.
The doubles teams will feature Sosnowy and Wu in the top position, with Wagner and freshman Hrafnhildur Hannesdottir of Reykjavik, Iceland, in the No. 3 spot. Washington's top singles players, Kraszewski and Stunova, will pool their talents and begin gaining doubles experience in the second slot.
As momentum builds, so do expectations. McCain's goals for the Huskies are appearances by the team and individuals in NCAA tournament play. The conference schedule also comes with a greater challenge, as this season marks the first that the Pacific-10 features an integrated dual match schedule instead of northern and southern divisional competition.
"Our goal for this program is to make the NCAA Championships," McCain noted. "We established ourselves as the best team in the northern Pac-10 in tournament play in the fall and now we're looking forward to taking on the rest of the Pac-10. I think we are going to surprise a lot of people this year."
