Sept. 20, 2009

By Adam Horejsi
UWRF Sports Information

The 2009 UWRF women’s tennis team holds many new faces.

The Falcons are off to a great start, their best since 2007 when they finished the season third in the WIAC tournament. That year, the Falcons took first place in both the No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles flight at the conference tourney.

The Falcons were led in 2007 by Kozue Matsumoto, a dominant freshman, who didn’t drop a set to her opponents all season and even defeated Division I opponent Martina Schnapp of UW-Milwaukee 6-1, 6-3. Kozue left UWRF after her freshman year with a full ride Div. I tennis scholarship at the University of New Orleans. “She probably was my single best recruit ever,” said Falcon Coach Lee Lueck.

Entering his 10th season at the helm of the UWRF program and his 40th year of coaching Lueck said, “This season’s recruits are my best ever, in terms of numbers. If I would have had this many quality recruits when I started, we could have built a powerhouse”

Lueck elaborated on the past successes of this year’s freshmen recruits. Many played at No. 1 singles or doubles position at their high schools.

“These are big schools we are talking about; Lakeville North, Bloomington Jefferson, Centennial, Anoka, etc.” commented Lueck.

Lueck feels confident in his players and the ability to rebound from a 7-8 (1-5 WIAC) season last year. “In my 40-years of coaching, nine here at the University, I have never had the freedom to pick and choose which player can play where in my singles and doubles line-up.”

Jenny Paxton (Bloomington Jefferson) and Amy Goertzen (Circle Pines, MN/Centennial) have anchored down No. 3 and No. 4 singles spots, respectively. Neither Paxton nor Goertzen have dropped a single set. The two have also not given up more than three games in a set. The duo also split time in doubles game.

Freshmen recruits Amanda Drangeid, Amy Johnson, and Alexandra Peterson have all seen varsity court time during the season as well. Johnson and Drangeid helped knocked off Bethel 8-1 through their double wins and Peterson goose-egged a Lawrence opponent, 6-0, 6-0 in singles to help cement the 7-2 win. Cassie Swenson, a freshman from St. Michael-Albertville, was discovered by Lueck from her YouTube recruiting video posting.

Two returning senior Co-Captains, Katie Ostrowski and Cassie Wood, compliment these freshmen. The two play at No. 1 and No. 2 singles positions respectively. The duo was also around as starting sophomores when the Falcons placed third in the WIAC in2007. Juniors Brittany Bonine and Stacia Kozel return for their third seasons and Naomi Wolff returns for her second. Each played significant roles for the Falcons last season. Bonine and Kozel were part of the 2007 WIAC squad. Haley Kavanaugh of Egan, a first year sophomore, also helps solidify this young potentially strong team.

Lueck says his greatest freedom comes in selecting which players are going to play which positions. “I can now play eight or nine players; last season, I would only play six or seven. Players would play doubles and singles. Playing nine players helps me find out whose performing and how well they can perform under pressure and ultimately build a better a team.”

This flexibility is crucial in the tough WIAC. Lueck has seen play get tougher and tougher over the years and sees this season as no exception. He knows his squad is sometimes an underdog going into a meet, but this actually helps and allows the players to just fight for every point and not worry about the match score. Lueck said this new crop of players are gaining experience, getting tougher with each match, learning how to deal with the pressures of collegiate tennis, and he’s confident they will jell by late October.

“This past spring, Whitewater went into Gustavus and beat them in a dual meet. Gustavus has the greatest number of Div. III wins in the nation. You don’t see them lose very often,” said Lueck.

The future is bright for this young squad. “No where to go but up for us this season and I think this recruiting class will help,” concluded Lueck.

2009 Schedule