April 7, 2009

The UMass women's tennis team is set for its annual Senior Day match as it hosts New England and A-10 rival Rhode Island on Thursday (3 p.m.) at the Mullins Courts on campus. It is a very special day as seniors Laura Danai, Lauren MacKay, and Stephanie Gimenez Stahlberg will be honored prior to the match, so be sure to arrive early. Head Coach Judy Dixon also looks for her 199th win at UMass as she stands only two shy of 200. The Minutewomen look to build momentum against two conference foes, URI and Temple (who they host on Friday) before the Atlantic 10 Championships which begin on Apr. 17.

Scouting Rhode Island
The University of Rhode Island comes into Thursday's match with a 12-2 season record. The Rams went 6-0 in the fall and are 6-2 so far in the spring season.

Senior Valerie Chacon of Rhode Island was the A-10 Player of the Week on Mar. 24. Chacon's record is 10-2 in singles and 13-6 in doubles.

All of the Rhode Island women have a winning record in both singles and doubles. The Rhode Island player with the most wins is freshman, Tristany Leikem with 19 singles wins to only 4 losses and 17 doubles wins to 5 losses.

Rhode Island earned first place at the New England Championships in the fall. The all time series between Massachusetts and Rhode Island is 33-6-1 in favor of the Minutewomen. Last years meeting between the two took place on Apr. 13 at Rhode Island and the Minutewomen won, 4-0.

Last Year's Meeting
April 13, 2008
KINGSTON, R.I. - The UMass women's tennis team (11-9) defeated their Atlantic 10 foes Rhode Island (14-6), 4-0 today in their last conference match of the season before the Atlantic 10 Tournament. The Minutewomen were undefeated against teams in the Atlantic 10 conference this year posting a 4-0 record against conference foes.

After the doubles matches finished, the coaches of the two teams decided to call the match after either team scored four points due to the frigid weather resulting in some unfinished matches.

UMass took the doubles point to begin the match with a lead as they have in each of their last six matches. Masha Pozar (Ljubljana, Slovenia) continued to add to her career doubles record with an 8-3 win over her No. 1 doubles foes. Her career doubles wins now stands at 73. Each of the other UMass doubles teams took down their opponents with a win by Kristin DiPiero (Huntingdon Valley, Pa.) and Tanisha Hodgson (Savaneta, Aruba) from the second flight and Laura Danai (Holyoke, Mass.) and Maude Lecluyse (Montreal, Canada) from the third. Danai and Lecluyse have won nine out of their last 10 matches.

Pozar continued to add to her career singles wins with her 6-2, 6-4 thrashing of her No. 1 singles opponent. She currently has 65 singles wins, just two shy of the record. With one game remaining in regular season play, Pozar is going to have to pull out wins in the postseason to break the record. Atlantic 10 Player/Rookie of the Week, Boney also won her singles match, 6-1, 6-2 from the second flight winning all of her matches and ending the week with a perfect 4-0 record for the second week in a row. Hodgson, Lecluyse and Gimenez did not finish their games on the day because before they could, the Minutewomen had already scored four points.

Senior Roundtable
The UMass Media Relations Department had a chance to catch up with the three seniors in a round-table question-and-answer session. See what they had to say, looking back at their time at UMass, and looking ahead to their future!

1.What made you choose UMass?
Laura Danai: I actually went to another school during my freshman year and I wanted a program as well as a school that was more serious. An advisor from high school in Pittsfield is taught tennis by Judy and thinks highly of her so I gave it a shot. I contacted Judy and the next year I was a walk-on for the team.

Lauren MacKay: I choose to come to UMass for a few reasons. In no particular order, I chose UMass because I knew I wanted to study Kinesiology and UMass was one of the few schools in the northeast that offered the Kinesiology major. Obviously another huge factor was the tennis team and Coach. After meeting with Judy, I realized that this was a serious, hardworking program that I absolutely wanted to be a part of. I also liked that UMass was a reasonable distance to where I am from in Connecticut, far enough away, but at the same time close enough to be able to go home on vacations and breaks.

Stephanie Gimenez Stahlberg: I wanted to come to New England and was looking for schools in the area (I did everything online). I really liked UMass and it worked well with the team so I decided to come.

2. Looking back at your career here, what match stands out the most and why? How about a specific moment?
LD: I think it would be my first A-10 (Championships). During my first year at UMass, I was only in the double's line-up and the 7th player in the singles line-up. Because of this, I didn't get much action in the singles line-up until the end of the semester when Ellen (our #3) had to pull out of the line-up due to injury. When we played against Xavier, the deciding match was my match and it ended up being a battle that ended in a close third set. This match stands out the most because in a sense I showed that I could stand the pressure and the heat that one feels when playing in the singles line-up.

LM: I would have to say the matches I have played this season are the most special. I also would have to say my recent doubles win with Candynce Boney defeating Old Dominion (#69 in the country) was a special moment for me. Another match that sticks out in my head is defeating a girl from UConn that was actually a fellow recruit here at UMass. Since she is the same age, grade and as a junior she was ranked higher than me, it was a nice win for me.

SGS: My match against Dartmouth my freshman year. It was a long match and I liked it (we beat Dartmouth 4-3), but also especially because Judy tells everyone about a point when she went to the bathroom and came back, and I was still playing the same point. For a team moment, definetely when we beat Temple last year.

3. What's your favorite memory of Coach Dixon?
LD: I have many good memories of Coach Dixon. She has been more than a coach, she has been a mentor and has helped me many times in life.

LM: My greatest memories of Judy is witnessing her pump her fist or get excited when she's watching one of our matches. It is rare and very subtle, but those few times are my greatest memories of her.

SGS: Judy saying she will get a tattoo if we win the A10s!

4. If you could go back and change one thing from your time here, what would it be and why?
LD: I try to live by the mentality of "no-regrets". Every time I step on the court, I try to give it my all regardless of how I play.

LM: If I had to change one thing here, at UMass, it would be to get a nutrition minor.

SGS: I would not have ridden my bike on December 1st - that was when I fell and injured my elbow.

5. What are your plans and goals for post-graduation?
LD: I plan to get my doctorate in Biology, although I am not sure what subfield yet.

LM: My hope is to work in the health and fitness industry; I would like to pursue a career as a strength and conditioning coach.

SGS: I am going to move in with my husband and start graduate school next Fall to get a Masters degree. Then I will possibly apply for PhD programs or go to work with public policy research or at an international development organization.

6. How has your senior year differed from your first three?
LD: It has been much more relaxed (classes wise) than other years. However, many more unforeseen stressful events have happened.

LM: My senior year has definitely been the best year. The team has had so much fun with each other and we are all very good friends and it has made for a really awesome year together. The group of girls is some of the nicest, smartest and most talented people you could ever meet. As captain of the team, I am very proud of the relationships that we have, and the success we have gained from it.

SGS: I stopped practicing after a couple of weeks in the spring because of my injury, and didn't travel with the team for the far trips. It was weird to see the girls less often and not be there to cheer during the matches.

7. Who has been the biggest influence on your tennis career and why?
LD: Judy and our volunteer assistant coach, Amin.

LM: The biggest influence in my tennis career has been my mom. She is the one that started me in tennis because she plays herself. My mom was my motivation and inspiration to play tennis; my senior year of high school, she coached my team. I still play tennis with my mom and plan on continuing to play with her after college.

SGS: My parents, and especially my father. He started playing tennis when I was born because he wanted me to play a sport, and he thought it would be great if I played tennis and we could play together. He was also my biggest supporter in telling me to come to the U.S. My parents used their weekends to take me to tournaments and I will always be grateful to them.

8. If you had to pick one thing that you learned most from your tennis career at UMass, what would it be and why?
LD: You would always get a chance to prove yourself and give more than 100%.

LM: If I had to pick one thing that I learned most from my tennis career here at UMass is that pressure is a privilege. To accept the pressure, to welcome it, and become the type of competitor that overcomes obstacles of pressure. It is something that Judy preaches, and something I had to find within myself.

A thanks to everyone in the athletic department! Also big thanks to my amazing team and Judy and Raynie for making this year so great! Also my fellow seniors: Laura my co- captain its been a great year, Stephie my teammate, roommate, original double partner and friend who has been here with me from the beginning! I wish you both the best of luck!

SGS: I learned how to play in a team, something I had never done before. I learned to practice not only for yourself but also for those around you, and to try your best to win for the team.