Women's Tennis Ready to Service Notice in 2006

by Sports Information
3/4/06

LANCASTER, PA – The Franklin & Marshall College women’s tennis team enters the 2006 season with a new goal: make the playoffs.

For the first time in the history of the Centennial Conference, the women’s tennis coaches will be on the same footing as their peers in soccer, field hockey, basketball, baseball, lacrosse, softball and volleyball as the Conference title will not go to the regular season champion. Instead, the top four teams will meet at the #1 seed and regular season champion for a tournament to decide which program earns the Centennial Conference championship trophy.

But the regular season champion should win the title, right?

Not exactly.

In the six Centennial Conference championships decided in a postseason tournament this year, only half of the #1 seeds won (field hockey – Ursinus, men’s basketball – Ursinus, women’s basketball – Muhlenberg), while the #1 seeds in volleyball (Johns Hopkins), men’s soccer (McDaniel) and women’s soccer (Dickinson) fell to lower seeded squads.

After losing Beth Conner and Marie Papalia to graduation last May, the Diplomats will turn to a youth movement to guide the program back to the Centennial Conference title in the form of freshmen Danielle Barish (Brooklandville, MD/St. Paul’s School for Girls), Katie Eckhart (Mercersburg, PA/Mercersburg Academy), Erin Jaffe (Madison, CT/Daniel Hand), Julia Lange (Rochester, NY/School of the Arts), Alexandra Mazzone (Princeton, NJ/Hun School) and Bethany Neill (New Milford, CT/New Milford) and newcomer Margaret Seaman (Jr., Cazenovia, NY/Northwest Academy).

Barish has the most intercollegiate experience of the newcomers as she recorded a 1-1 record in the fall semester at #4, including a 6-2, 6-1 win versus Meredith College in her collegiate debut. In addition, she combined with Katie Gaskins (Jr., Richmond, VA/Mills Godwin) to record an 8-4 win at #2 doubles in a 5-4 win over Elizabethtown.

Lange is the only other freshman to step onto the court in a match for the Diplomats this year as she combined with partner Christina Henkel (So., Hatboro, PA/Hatboro-Horsham) to go went 1-1 at #3 doubles during the fall.

Following a season in which the program finished 11-4, 7-3 in the Centennial Conference and ranked #10 in the final Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) South Atlantic Region Rankings, the Diplomats will look to their returning players to guide the program to its first CC title since 2000.

Leading the team will be Elizabeth Denenberg (Sr., Wilmington, DE/Sanford School), Barbara Bee (Jr., Millersville, PA/Penn Manor), Gaskins, Henkel and Jenna Ishkanian (So., Wyckoff, NJ/Ramapo).

The Diplomats singles lineup will be potent as Gaskins, Denenberg and Bee make up a solid trio at #1-3.

An All-Centennial Conference selection and the Diplomats’ #1 singles player, Gaskins finished with an 11-3 record, including 8-2 in Centennial Conference matches, last season as she advanced to the semifinals at the 2005 Centennial Conference Women’s Tennis Championships hosted by Swarthmore College.

The #4 seed, Gaskins defeated Sharon Desparak of McDaniel 6-2, 6-0 in the first round, Sara Sargent of Swarthmore 6-2, 6-2 in the round of 16 and handled Pam Kimmelman of Muhlenberg 7-5, 6-2 in the quarterfinals to become the first Franklin & Marshall women’s tennis player to advance to the semifinals since Leah Rubin ’00 won the 1998 championship.

Following a pair of wins over Meredith and Elizabethtown this fall, Gaskins is 24-6, including a 10-3 mark at #2 singles, and is 17-3 in Centennial Conference play.

At #2, Denenberg enters the spring season after finishing off the squash season earlier this month. In the fall, Denenberg recorded a 2-0 mark as she handled her Meredith and Elizabethtown opponents. In doubles, Bee and Denenberg combined to go 2-0 during the fall.

Bee also rejoins the team after the squash season and is coming off a 1-1 record at #3 singles during the fall.

Franklin & Marshall will open competition on March 22 at McDaniel College in Centennial Conference play. Match time is set for 3:30 p.m.