Women’s Tennis Team Owns Region 19 11/2/05 When a national championship team loses only one of its six starters, chances are that the next season will be good. It comes as no great surprise, then, that this year’s women’s tennis team continued to deliver, earning a 7-0 record, a ninth consecutive Region 19 title, and another trip to the national tournament in Tucson in May. With only four teams competing in Region 19 this year (Ocean Co. College dropped its program), Mercer cruised to several easy victories, but faced a truly formidable opponent in Gloucester Co. College. “Gloucester was incredible,” said Head Coach Marc Vecchiolla. “They pushed us hard.” Facing Gloucester twice during the regular season, Mercer squeaked by 5-4 on Sept. 20 (minus two of its starters) and then won decisively 7-2 on Oct. 4. The women made a great showing at the Harford (MD) Invitational Tournament on Oct. 1, placing first out of four teams. The Region 19 championship, held Oct. 21-22 at Riverwinds Racquet Club in West Deptford, was a real test. Because of its superlative record, Mercer received “byes” on the first day of play. But having earned almost no points for actual wins, the Vikings went into the final trailing Gloucester. “If one of our players had had a bad day, Gloucester might have won the region,” Vecchiolla said. “The ‘byes’ actually worked against us.” He noted that the scoring procedure is under review for next year. In singles action, Caitlin Bagdonas and Rachel Hendrickson lost close contests in the no. 2 and no. 3 flights, but otherwise, it was all Mercer with wins at no. 1 (Natalia Dabrowska), no. 4 (Krystle Duay), no. 5 (Siobhan Cahill) and no. 6 (Sherry Lin). In doubles action, Dabrowska and freshman Jane Senor won at no. 1, Bagdonas and Cahill won at no. 2, and Duay and Hendrickson won at no. 3. “The girls were awesome,” Vecchiolla said. “Everybody peaked at the right time.” With the Region 19 tournament now behind them, Vecchiolla is enjoying the peace of mind that comes with having seven players who went to the nationals last year. “They’ve been there before. They know what to expect and what they have to do.” For his part, Vecchiolla plans to stick to a winning formula: having fun. “If your players are having a good time, they work harder,” he said. Mercer’s other advantage is its depth. The team’s no. 7 player, Jane Senor, is doing well in no. 1 doubles with partner Natalia Dawbrowska. “If we were to lose a player, we could play her or no. 8 team sparkplug Monica Nichols at singles and not lose a step,” Vecchiolla said. The other new players, Daniela Provost and Jessica Fleming, are practicing with the team in preparation for a spot on next year’s starting line-up. “Coaches always have the following season in the backs of their minds.” Practices for the national tournament will commence indoors in January and follow the same game plan as in previous years with Vecchiolla and assistant coaches Barb Pleva and Ralph Bencivnego helping the players to correct imperfections in their games. “They will be worse before they get better,” Vecchiolla predicted. Three players have already secured their places in the Mercer record books by surpassing two-time All-American Sarah Bucon (2001 and 2002), who held the previous record with 44 combined wins (singles and doubles). Henrickson has already tallied 53, Duay has 48 and Dabrowska has 45. Cahill is currently tied with Bucon at 44. The national tournament takes place in Tucson, AZ, from May 6-13, 2006.   Directions to MCCC Return to Sports News