WORCESTER, Mass. – The Worcester State University women's tennis team has been picked to finish fourth in the Little East Conference (LEC) preseason poll, as voted on by the nine coaches in the league.
Last season, the Lancers registered an 8-7 overall record, and went 4-4 in the league under second-year head coach, Courteney Blais. In 2016, the Blue and Gold finished fifth in the LEC and made it to the seminfinal round in the postseason tournament, falling to Bridgewater State by a score of 5-2.
Blais is back again for her third season, and she returns six student-athletes and suffers the loss of their No. 1 flight and All-Conference recipient, Shelby Jankins.
Returning this season are seniors Rachel Green (Worcester, Mass.) and Alexis Silk (Greenfield, Mass.), junior Nathalie Khafaga (Auburn, Mass.), along with sophomores Isabel Badeau (Cumberland, R.I.), Lauren Taylor (Attleboro, Mass.), and Valerie Tocco (Pelham, N.H.).
Silk led the team in total wins with 18 last season (10 singles, eight doubles). Khafaga marked a team-high nine double wins last season, while Taylor chipped in 17 points for the Blue and Gold. Green and Badeau registered 15 and 10 points, respectively, throughout the year. Tocco returns to the team this season after a year halt in 2016.
This season, the team welcomes five freshman (Dominique Alves, Emma Collings, Victoria Konicki, Marisa Lombardi, Monika Mularski).
The Worcester State women's tennis team begins their season on Friday, Sep. 1 when they travel to Wentworth for a 3 p.m. non-conference match. The Lancers hit the road again on Wednesday, Sep. 6 when they travel to Becker. Their home opener is scheduled for Thursday, Sep. 7 when they host MCLA in a 4 p.m. match, to be played at Wachusett Regional High School.
2017 Little East Conference Women's Tennis Preseason Coaches' Poll
1. UMass Dartmouth – 58 (3)
2. Rhode Island College – 57 (3)
3. Bridgewater State – 54 (3)
4. Worcester State - 38
5. UMass Boston – 33
Plymouth State - 33
7. Western Connecticut State - 23
8. Salem State - 18
9. Southern Maine - 9