WALLA WALLA, Wash. – Depth is a concern but talent is not as the Whitman College women’s tennis team looks to hold its spot in the upper third of the Northwest Conference.
"We may have a small roster, but we also have a strong roster," first-year coach Hannah Swee says. "We have good talent from top to bottom. The biggest concern for us is to keep everyone healthy and in a position where they can play to the best of their ability."
Whitman tunes up for its early Northwest Conference battles when it travels to Lewiston, Idaho, this Saturday for a pair of non-conference matches. Whitman plays Montana State-Billings, an NCAA Div. II school, at noon and Lewis-Clark State, an NAIA Div. I squad, at 4 p.m.
The Missionaries then embark on a string of 10 NWC dates, starting Feb. 15-16 with home matches against George Fox and Pacific. "We finished in the top three in the conference last year, and I can see us finishing as well or better this season," Swee says. "We just need to stay injury free."
Whitman posted a 16-6 regular season record last spring, which included a 12-4 mark and second-place tie in the NWC. At the conference championships, the Missionaries opened with a victory over Willamette, lost to Puget Sound in the semifinals and then edged Pacific Lutheran to take third and finished with an exemplary 18-7 record overall.
Despite losing Katie Collier, Maura Flaherty and Emily Smith to graduation, Whitman returns a handful of talented juniors and sophomores to anchor the top of the line-up. And while the roster includes just one first-year player in Elise Otto, she ranks among the team’s very best.
Otto, who comes to Whitman from Spokane, Wash., will play at the top of Whitman’s singles ladder along with returning sophomores Hadley DeBree and Margo Lentz. "Our top three are very close to each other in terms of ability, and from what I can see so far, they have the potential to be among the best players in conference this season."
DeBree, who played No. 1 singles last spring, twice earned NWC Player of the Week honors during her first college season. She was one of only two first-year players to make the All-NWC First Team.
"Hadley worked hard over the semester break and played a lot of tennis," Swee says. "She’s playing very well right now. The goal for her this season is to be a little more aggressive. There are times when she stays on the baseline too much."
Lentz, who played much of last spring at No. 3 singles, was slowed by a wrist injury late in the season. She had corrective surgery over the summer and was limited to doubles play in last September’s Intercollegiate Tennis Association fall tournament.
"Margo was still undergoing physical therapy last fall, but she’s playing very well right now," Swee says. "She has a promising season ahead of her."
Otto made an immediate impact at last fall’s ITA tournament, advancing to the semifinals before losing to another talented first-year player, Amalia Nilsson of Lewis & Clark College. "There were a lot of very competitive points, and several games went to deuce," Swee says. "Elise was just a little bit off her game in that match."
Otto's play at the fall tournament vaulted her to a No. 20 singles ranking in the West Region of NCAA Div. III. Meanwhile, in the latest regional team rankings, Whitman sits in the No. 11 spot.
Otto, who played her prep tennis at Spokane’s Lewis & Clark High School, has also been "ranked among the top 20 in the Pacific Northwest juniors," Swee says. "She’s an all-court player who hits a strong, deep ball and really looks to attack when the opportunities are there. She’s great from the baseline, but she’s not afraid to come to the net. She moves well on the court and anticipates where the ball is headed."
With sophomore Divneet Kaur and junior Katie Oost, the No. 4 and No. 5 spots in singles will be in good hands, Swee says.
Kaur and DeBree served as a formidable No. 2 doubles team last season, but Kaur saw relatively little singles action because of wrist tendonitis. "It’s great that Divneet is healthy now and in great shape," Swee says. "She has been playing very well in practice."
Oost, along with junior teammates Alex Robinson and Jacquie Frank, missed the fall tournament while studying abroad. "Katie played No. 4 singles for us last year," Swee says. "We missed her in the fall, but she’s back and picking up right where she left off. She’s a very consistent player and a great competitor."
With a roster void of seniors, Oost, Robinson and Frank are serving as team captains and providing good leadership, Swee says. Robinson should fill the No. 6 singles slot with Frank providing backup when needed.
DeBree and Kaur will return as one of Whitman’s top two doubles tandem. Lentz and Otto will be the other. "Both of those teams made the quarterfinals of the fall tournament," Swee says. "Hadley and Divneet had a great season together last spring. Elise and Margo make a great team because they have similar mentalities and styles of play. At this point, I anticipate keeping these doubles teams like they were in the fall, but I may mix things up, too."
Oost will work with Robinson and Frank as the No. 3 doubles team.
Whitman travels to Texas in mid-March for a series of Spring Break matches against four NCAA Div. III schools. After hosting UC-Santa Cruz in a final non-conference match on March 26, Whitman plays four of its final six NWC matches at home. The conference championships are set for April 18-19 at the Yakima (Wash.) Tennis Club.
After two seasons as an assistant coach, Swee assumed the interim head coaching position last spring when Heidi Tate resigned to pursue for post-graduate studies. Swee, an all-conference player at Whitman who graduated in May 2005, is a candidate for the permanent coaching appointment.
Amy Kunkel-Patterson, a 2006 Whitman graduate who also played tennis, is serving as Swee’s assistant this season. Kunkel-Patterson also works in the Whitman Development Office.