Sports News: Spring 2007
Monday, April 30, 2007

MORAVIAN WOMEN'S TENNIS TEAM HEADED TO WASHINGTON & LEE UNIVERSITY FOR NCAA REGIONALS

INDIANAPOLIS, IN --- The Moravian College women's tennis team will travel to Washington & Lee University to compete in the first through third rounds of the 2007 NCAA Division III Women's Tennis National Championship Tourament beginning Friday, May 4th.

The Greyhounds, who are 14-2 overall and earned the Commonwealth Conference's automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament, will play Johns Hopkins University, the Centennial Conference champion with a 16-3 record, on Friday at 2:00 p.m. The winner of the match will face the University of Mary Washington, 20-2 and the champion of the Capital Athletic Conference on Saturday, May 5th at 2:00 p.m.

Friday's other first round match will have Cabrini College, the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference champion with a 12-4 mark, playing Swarthmore College, the Centennial Conference runner-up and which received an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships with a 12-6 record playing at 10:00 a.m. The winner of that contest will play host Washington & Lee, the Old Dominion Athletic Conference champion at 20-1, in Saturday's other second round match that will start at 10:00 a.m. The winners of Saturday's two contests will play on Sunday at 12:00 p.m. for the chance to move to the final rounds at Mary Washington, May 15th through 17th.

The NCAA field was expanded to 48 teams this year with 32 automatic qualifiers, eight Pool B bids from independent institutions and conferences without automatic qualification and eight Pool C or at-large berths.

Moravian, under the direction of head coach Dawn Ketterman-Benner, won its eighth conference championship last fall to earn the spot in the the NCAA Tournament, which is a first for the Greyhounds. Moravian has a 190-21 record since the start of the 1994 season and has played in the conference championship match each year. The Greyhounds were 12-1 during the fall portion of their 2006-07 schedule, and Moravian has won two of three matches this spring.

Junior Rebecca Angstadt (Hamburg, PA/Hamburg HS) is 17-1 to lead the Greyhounds with a 13-1 mark at sixth singles. Sophomore MaryKate Kelly (Beach Haven, NJ/Southern Regional HS) is 18-3 in singles action, just one victory shy of tying the single season record, with 15-1 dual match record. Junior Brittany Popaca (Lavallette, NJ/Point Pleasant Beach HS) is 13-5 in singles including 10-3 at third singles while junior Jennel Yelito (Tamaqua, PA/Tampaqua HS) is 13-6 with an 11-3 mark at fifth singles.

Angstadt won the 2006 Middle Atlantic States Collegiate Athletic Corporation Individual Sixth Singles title while Popaca won the Third Singles title and Kelly captured the Fourth Singles championship. Senior Margo Kokolus (Orefield, PA/Parkland HS) was 9-8 in the fall including 7-6 at first singles but is not playing this spring due to an injury.

Sophomore Dyana Swan (Branchburg, NJ/Somerville HS) has a 10-7 singles mark this season with a 9-7 slate at second singles while junior Lindsey Hopper (Middlesex, NJ/Middlesex HS) is 2-0 at sixth singles. Senior Courtney Hall (Denver, PA/Cocalico HS) has moved into the top singles spot to replace Kokolus and has a 1-4 record.

Kokolus and Hall competed at first doubles for the Greyhounds and were 6-10 overall and 5-7 in dual matches while the team of Popaca and Kelly is 12-8 overall and 10-2 in dual contests at second doubles. Popaca and Kelly have moved into the top spot to replace Kokolaus and Hall. Swan and Yelito have combined for a 2-2 doubles record while Hall and Hopper are 3-0 this spring.