Fierce and Ready for the Season
The ladies of the Athenas Tennis Team are
ready to kick-off the season. After a semester of building on their
individual games and getting to know each other, they started this
semester off with a 3-day training camp weekend (January 16-18) in
Dana Point, CA at Assistant Coach Hank Krieger's beach house. This
provided the perfect opportunity for the Athenas to train and bond
together before the start of classes in a stress-free setting. They
also spent the weekend nights in a cozy book-club setting to
improve their mental game with Jeff Greenwald and his book, "The
Best Tennis of Your Life". Upon returning to campus, the Athenas
were physically and mentally prepared to take on this upcoming
season and all the changes it has in store. The team has greatly
increased in size this year to 14 players, with a young team of 8
new members and 6 returning. Head Coach Max Retzlaff and Assistant
Coaches Hank Krieger and Kathy Settles are looking forward to
training these ladies who may seem less experienced, but actually
possess an unbelievable amount of potential.
The captains of the 2010 season are returners
Alle Hsu (SCR '11) and Meredith Leyendecker (CMC '10), who work
really hard at organizing the team activities and boosting spirit.
We want to welcome back this year Emilee Feldhausen (SCR '10) and
Chloe Cotton (CMC '12), who had to take time off previously due to
injuries. Other returning players include Caroline Daly (SCR '12)
and Stephanie Lee (SCR '12).
Now for the line-up of new players on the team
starting with Ali Feldhausen (SCR '13), sister of Emilee
Feldhausen, who comes from a tennis-loving family in Tucson, AZ.
From in and near Chicago, IL, Ariel Katz (CMC '13) and Melissa
Margolis (SCR '13) join the team appearing small and harmless, but
both actually pack a punch on the court. Next up, Katie Lorish (CMC
'13) hails from Portland,OR with amazing strokes that have
allowed her to already shine in the #1 doubles and #2 singles
positions. Super-athlete, Rachel McMillan (CMC '13) from Seattle
WA, chose to play tennis over other sports upon entering college
and has added a lot of spunk to the team with her fun-personality.
Despite the stress of taking two lab science courses, Jaclyn
Smrecek (SCR '13) from Irvine, CA, has brought her top-game to
Athenas Tennis through her rise into the #1 doubles and #1 singles
position. However, in the area of intense and aggressive tennis,
Riley Thomlison (CMC '13) is the queen of the court with her
learned tactics from the dangerous city of St. Louis, MO. Lastly,
we want to welcome spring-transfer Hannah Gordon (CMC '12) from
Carnegie Mellon to the team. She is a hard-hitter from Miami, FL
and has proved to be an excellent addition to the top line-up with
her immense amount of power.
All these new players have added so much to the
program. Having a larger team means that the coaches have more ways
to be strategic in who should be played against certain opponents.
And of course, more people on a team means a bigger, happier tennis
family. Each person is excited for the successes and lessons the
season has in store. They look forward to the upcoming matches and
your support! Check out the Schedule/Results section to stay
informed throughout the season. GO ATHENAS!
