Monday, October 6, 2003

MORAVIAN WOMEN’S TENNIS TO TRAVEL TO DREW UNIVERSITY FOR
MAC SEMIFINAL MATCH

BETHLEHEM, PA --- The Moravian College women’s tennis team looks to extend its winning streak to 11 straight matches and take its first step towards a fourth straight Middle Atlantic Conference Championship as the Greyhounds travel to Drew University in a MAC Semifinal Wednesday, October 8th at 3:15 p.m. Wednesday's other semifinal contest has Messiah College hosting the University of Scranton in a 2:00 p.m. start.

Moravian, which has won six of the last seven MAC Championships, is competing in its tenth consecutive playoff appearance, and the squad is the second seed from the MAC Commonwealth. The semifinal winners will meet on Saturday, October 11th for the 2003 MAC Championship.

Under the direction of head coach Dawn Benner, the Greyhounds have won ten straight matches after falling to Messiah, 5-4, to open the season. Moravian has an all-time record of 14-14 versus Drew.

Junior Becky Deringer (Allentown, PA/Dieruff HS) leads Moravian in singles action with a 12-2 mark, including an 8-1 record at second singles. Senior Lauren Castagna (Mt. Bethel, PA/Bangor HS) has a 12-3 mark on the season with an 8-2 record at third singles while senior Marion Berry (Avon, NJ/St. Rose HS) is 7-2 at first singles. Deringer and Castagna competed in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Southeast Regional Tournament on September 27th and 28th at Mary Washington College with Castagna reaching the quarterfinals in the "B" Draw. Senior Petia Damianova (Haskovo, Bulgaria/ISM HS) has added an 8-1 record this fall at fifth singles.

Sophomore Nicole Gruber (Lebanon, PA/Lebanon HS) is 8-3 overall and 6-3 at fourth singles while junior Julie Anderson (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty HS) has a 6-2 record this season, and she is 4-2 at sixth singles. Sophomore Katie Cooke (Milford, PA/Delaware Valley HS) has won all four singles matches she has played while freshman Courtney Hall (Denver, PA/Cocalico HS) is 1-0 in her debut season.

In doubles action, Berry and junior Jillian Iacovelli (Randolph, NJ/Randolph HS) have combined for an 11-3 mark including an 8-2 record at second doubles while Deringer and Castagna are 7-3 at first doubles. Berry and Iacovelli also participated in the ITA Southeast Regional, reaching the quarterfinals in the "B" Draw. Hall and fellow freshman Margo Kokolus (Orefield, PA/Parkland HS) have a 3-0 mark at third doubles while Damianova is 2-0 at third doubles with Cooke. Sophomores Rachel Vannatta (Pennsbury, PA/Upper Perkiomen HS) and Sara Weller (Gladstone, NJ/Bernards HS) also have a 1-0 record at third doubles, as do Damianova and Gruber. Damianova and Vannatta have combined for a 1-1 record.

Drew enters the MAC Playoffs with an overall record of 9-0 and a 6-0 slate in the MAC Freedom. The Rangers have lost just nine of 81 individual matches this year. Drew is returning to the MAC Playoffs for the first time since 1999.

Freshman Fiona Burns leads the Rangers with a 9-0 singles record including a 5-0 slate at sixth single while junior Erin Jessen has an 8-0 mark with a 5-0 record at fourth singles. Junior Ann Luetzow has posted a 9-1 record while freshman Crystal Vo is 9-2. Luetzow has a 5-1 record at third singles while Vo is 5-1 at first singles. Junior Jennifer Williams is 7-2 this fall with a 3-2 slate at fifth singles while senior Abby Woodhead is 6-4 overall and 4-2 at second singles. Freshman Dragana Trivic has a 2-0 record this fall while sophomore Meghan Weimer is 1-0 in singles action.