Women's Tennis Team Ready to Challenge for NWC Supremacy

WALLA WALLA, Wash. -- There is no reason this spring for the Whitman College women's tennis team to take a preseason backseat to any of its Northwest Conference competitors.

So says fourth-year coach John Hein as he surveys a talent-rich Missionary roster of 14 players anchored at the top by a handful of accomplished seniors and juniors.

John Hein

"This is the deepest and most talented roster we've had in my time here," Hein says.

"We're not looking past anyone in our conference, which continues to get stronger and stronger, but we have the talent and depth to match up with any of the other teams."

A year ago, after finishing third in the NWC regular season with a 9-3 record, Whitman dropped a competitive decision in the semifinals of the NWC playoffs.

Elise Otto, a four-time All-NWC First Teamer, was lost to graduation, but the Missionaries return plenty of experienced firepower in juniors Alyssa Roberg and Kate Kunkel-Patterson and seniors Emily Rolston, Lizzy Schiller and Charlotte Scott.

"We also return four sophomores who have made great strides over the past year, and we've added five dynamic first-year players who have the talent and potential to play at this level," Hein says. "The challenge this spring for me as a coach is to get as many of these players as possible into meaningful matches."

What Hein likes best about the size of his roster is the mass of support and motivation players provide for one another.

"We have a bunch of talented, committed players who know that our success depends on how much strength we generate from each other. On one hand players are very supportive of each other, but they also push one another to get better.

Courtney Lawless (left), Alyssa Roberg

"One of our strengths the past three years is the importance we place on building a cohesive team," he adds. "We need to continue those Whitman tennis traditions of putting team first and foremost.

"If we support each other on and off the court, we're going to be a very tough team to beat."

The other reason Whitman "approaches the spring season with a lot confidence," Hein says, is the strong showing the team made at last fall's USTA / ITA regional tournament.

Roberg, who earned a spot on the All-NWC First Team in each of her first two seasons, won last fall's regional singles title and joined first-year teammate Courtney Lawless to win the doubles crown.

"We know it was just one tournament, but we had a lot of success as a team and made a strong showing up and down our roster," Hein says.

Roberg, ranked No. 3 in singles in the West Region, won the singles title with an impressive straight-set victory over Linfield senior Abby Olbrich.

"Abby is a tremendous player, so that was a great win for Alyssa," Hein says.

Morgan Lawless

"But Alyssa also handled some very good players earlier in the tournament without too much difficulty. Alyssa has matured over the past few years. She's a much better player, both from a mental as well as a physical standpoint."

Lawless also showed tons of potential in the singles bracket, losing a three-set battle in the quarterfinals to Olbrich.

Meanwhile, Morgan Lawless (Courtney's twin) also had a strong fall tournament, losing to Roberg in the singles semifinals while teaming with Rolston to make the quarterfinals in doubles.

Emily Rolston

Based on her fall results, Morgan Lawless starts the spring season with a No. 12 West Region ranking in singles. Courtney Lawless is No. 19 in singles while joining Roberg for a No. 2 ranking in doubles.

The Lawless sisters graduated two years ago from St. Stephen's Episcopal School (Austin, Texas), where they trained at its tennis academy. They delayed their enrollment at Whitman for one year, taking that time to work and continue playing junior tennis in their home state.

"Both Courtney and Morgan have a tremendous amount of tennis experience," Hein says. "They've had the same phenomenal coach for eight years. They've been playing junior tennis at the Super Champs level in Texas for a long time.

"They've been playing in national tournaments for many years. Their technique and strategic approach to matches is very polished. They both can do a lot of different things on the court."

Kunkel-Patterson

While Roberg and the Lawless twins might be locks for the top rungs on Whitman's singles ladder, Hein has veterans ready to battle for court time in the lower half of the singles line-up, not to mention doubles.

In her first three seasons at Whitman, Rolston developed from a "very good No. 5 or No. 6 player in singles to a very good No. 3 or No. 4 player," Hein says. "Emily continues to improve, and she's going to do well this spring no matter where she plays in the line-up."

Lizzy Schiller

Scott, a senior who missed her junior spring season while on foreign study, racked up singles and doubles experience in her first two seasons. "Charlotte is a solid player who probably is strongest in doubles," Hein says. "She won the doubles consolation bracket at last fall's regional tournament."

Schiller, also a senior, played college tennis for the first time last year and posted some big clutch victories in singles. Her wins at No. 5 singles provided the clinching fifth team point in 5-4 victories over both Willamette and Pacific.

"We know that Lizzy is tough in big matches, but she has really improved her fitness from a year ago," Hein says. "She's a much stronger player than she was last season."

Kunkel-Patterson, a junior who missed last fall's regional tournament while on foreign study, has worked her way up the singles ladder in recent years. She played primarily at No. 3 and No. 4 singles last spring, going 8-4 against NWC opponents.

Charlotte Scott

"Kate is still knocking off the rust after being gone in the fall, but she's an experienced competitor who continues to get better," Hein says.

Despite an ankle injury, sophomore Hannah Palkowitz was Whitman's most accomplished first-year player last spring. She was 6-5 in singles and played in 16 matches in doubles, going 5-3 against conference foes.

Hannah Palkowitz

"Hannah showed she could play at this level last year, but we have three more returning sophomores who have made great improvements," Hein says.

Hadley Scherer, Olivia Bates and Maggie Eismeier were "fairly raw last year in terms of college tennis, but all three have worked tremendously hard to make themselves into better players. They are so far beyond where they were in their first season."

First-year players rounding out the 2012 roster, in addition to the Lawless sisters, are Maddy Webster (Long Beach, Calif.; Chadwick School), Erin Minuth (San Francisco, Calif.; Convent of Sacred Heart) and Sara Finkleman (Tacoma, Wash.; Charles Wright Academy).

"All three can play at this level right now, and we'll see how they continue to develop this spring," Hein says. "They've already done a lot of work in terms of adjusting to college tennis."

Hadley Scherer

Most of Webster's pre-Whitman competitive experience was in doubles, but she "certainly has the potential to play singles for us as well," Hein says. "She's just a first-year player, but she brings tremendous enthusiasm to the court and already shows signs of being a leader."

Minuth, who also adds a lot of "fun and enthusiasm" to the roster, is a "very good athlete with a big serve," Hein says. "She can hit the ball, but she also knows how to adjust and play different styles of tennis when it's needed."

Olivia Bates

While Finkleman doesn't necessarily project a physical presence on the court, she "hits the ball surprisingly hard," Hein says. "She's a smart player with good command of her shots.

"Sara also had great success in high school in doubles, qualifying for the Washington state championships. She is a complete player with a lot of great tools and determination."

Whitman spends the first three weeks of its season on the road, starting with a Sunday, Feb. 12, non-conference match against NAIA powerhouse Lewis-Clark State in Lewiston, Idaho.

Maggie Eismeier

Five more road matches, four of them against NWC opponents, follow in February. Whitman's first home match is Friday, March 2, against Pacific.

The season, which also includes a Spring Break trip to Texas, hits a high point in late April when the top four NWC teams play off for an automatic berth in the NCAA Division III national championship field.

"The conference seems to get deeper each year," Hein says. "Whitworth and Linfield, the top two teams last year, have added some good young players. So have other teams in the conference. There are going to be a lot of dangerous teams in the NWC."

"We are confident we can be the best team in this conference, but we also know we have to keep working hard if we want to prove that. We will have to beat some very good teams."

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CONTACT: Dave Holden
Sports Information Director
Whitman College, Walla Walla, Wash.
509 527-5902; holden@whitman.edu