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2002 Women's Tennis Team:
Regional Champs For Sixth Consecutive Season
10/23/02
With only two returning players this season, Ya-ting Hsu (#2) and Mai Fujita (#5), Vecchiolla was considering the possibility there would be no regional championship this year. But the mighty Mercer women did it again, winning their sixth consecutive regional title at Brookdale Community College Oct. 18 - 19.
Observed Vecchiolla, "Every point counted. At the end we were tied with Gloucester 10 - 10, but the rule states that the team that advances the most players to the finals of their respective flights is the winner. We advanced seven; they advanced six." The Vikings took the first two flights in singles competition and finished second in three other flights. Landry Shelly (#1) won first singles and Ya-ting Hsu (#2) won second singles. Jana Sulerova, Mai Fujita and Desiree Noel finished second in fourth, fifth and sixth singles.
The team had a late start this year in order to give the new players some extra practice time. On Oct. 3 the women lost their opener against Gloucester, their toughest competitor, 6 – 3. They followed that match with two wins, beating Brookdale 9 – 0 and Ocean 6 – 3. Poor weather resulted in the cancellation of two matches and then the women lost a close repeat match against Gloucester 5 – 4. With no time for make-ups and just four matches under their belts, the women entered the regional tournament.
According to Vecchiolla, Landry Shelly was a consistent stand-out at the no. 1 position, losing only one match during the season. The other players, Ya-ting Hsu, Maureen Haggerty (#3), Jana Sulerova (#4), Mai Fujita, Desiree Noel (#6), Casey Stout (#7) and Kim Carella (#8), practiced hard and learned a great deal in a short time.
Observed Vecchiolla, "At a two-year school, there is a big turnover. We really felt it this season. This was clearly a rebuilding year. But the improvement I saw in two months of playing together makes me optimistic about what we can accomplish at the nationals." He notes that the team is like a family. "The players are so close. They really help each other. I think it's a big part of our success."
Vecchiolla rarely predicts titles, but always predicts a good time. Somewhat unexpectedly this season, the prediction was right on both fronts. The women begin practicing for the national tournament in January. They will defend their national title May 3 - 9 in Texas.
For the schedule and scores see: