Thursday, October 13, 2005

MORAVIAN COLLEGE WOMEN’S TENNIS TO HOST ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE IN COMMONWEALTH CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH

BETHLEHEM, PA --- The Moravian College women’s tennis team looks to extend its winning streak to 11 straight matches and take the final step towards a Commonwealth Conference Championship as the top-seeded Greyhounds host second seeded Elizabethtown College in the Commonwealth Conference Championship match on Saturday, October 15th beginning at 1:00 p.m. at Hoffman Courts.

The Greyhounds advanced to the title match with a 7-2 victory over fourth seeded Lebanon Valley College in a semifinal on Wednesday while the Blue Jays, the defending conference champion, earned a berth in the championship match with a 5-4 win over third seeded Messiah College in the semifinals.

Moravian, which has won seven of the last nine conference championships, is competing in its 12th consecutive playoff appearance, and the squad has played in the championship match the last 12 years as well as posting a 174-16 record since the 1994 season.

Under the direction of head coach Dawn Benner, the Greyhounds have won ten straight matches after falling to Lebanon Valley, 5-4, back on September 13th. Moravian is 14-1 overall this season and was 5-1 during the Commonwealth Conference regular season including a 5-4 victory versus Elizabethtown on September 17th.

Sophomore Brittany Popaca (Lavallette, NJ/Point Pleasant Beach HS) leads the Greyhounds with a 14-0 singles record this season while senior Katie Cooke (Milford, PA/Delaware Valley HS) has a 13-0 singles mark. Junior Margo Kokolus (Orefield, PA/Parkland HS) is 4-0 and sophomore Jennel Yelito (Tamaqua, PA/Tamaqua HS) has posted an 11-1 singles mark this fall.

Freshman MaryKate Kelly (Beach Haven, NJ/Southern Regional HS) is 13-2 in singles competition while sophomore Rebecca Angstadt (Hamburg, PA/Hamburg HS) is 4-2 in singles action. Senior Nicole Gruber (Lebanon, PA/Lebanon HS), this week’s Commonwealth Conference Player of the Week, has a 10-4 singles slate while sophomore Leah Bradshaw (Perkasie, PA/Pennridge HS) has a 2-1 singles mark. Freshman Dyana Swan (Branchburg, NJ/Somerville HS) has posted a 2-8 singles record.

In doubles action, the team of Cooke and freshman Kelly Gerbino (Easton, PA/Easton HS) is 4-0 while Gruber and Bradshaw are 10-5 in doubles action this season. Popaca and Yelito have also combined for a 3-1 doubles slate while the duo of Kelly and Swan is 5-6. Kokolus and junior Courtney Hall (Denver, PA/Cocalico HS) are 8-5 in doubles action.

On Tuesday, Gruber was named to the Commonwealth All-Conference First Team while Cooke and Popaca earned spots on the All-Conference Second Team.

Elizabethtown, the defending conference champion, enters the Commonwealth Conference title match as the second seed. The Blue Jays come to Bethlehem with an overall record of 9-2 after a 5-1 Commonwealth Conference regular season. In last fall's championship match, Elizabethtown defeated the Greyhounds, 5-4.

Junior Heather Lander and senior Kristy Trimbey each have 12 singles wins for Elizabethtown this season with Lander posting a 12-2 mark and Trimbey having a 12-3 record. Freshman Alice Yu has recorded a 10-5 singles mark while sophomore Lauren Foderaro has a 9-3 singles mark.

Junior Stacy Shapiro is 9-5 in singles action this season for Elizabethtown while sophomore Emma Smith is 4-9 in singles competition. Freshman Ashley McMaster has a 1-1 singles mark.

In doubles action, the team of Foderaro and Shapiro has an 8-3 record while the duo of Lander and Yu is 6-1. Lander has teamed up with Trimbey for a 5-0 doubles record while Smith and Trimbey are 4-5 in doubles competition. Smith and Yu have won three of four doubles matches as a tandem while Shapiro and Yu have a 2-0 doubles mark.