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Jeff
Hamilton has assembled his deepest squad in his three years as head
tennis coach at Shawnee State.
The Bears return six members of last year’s squad and add
seven newcomers. Rachel
Smalley returns to the squad after sitting out last season.
The Bears will need this added depth as they face a
challenging schedule. Four
of the seven teams SSU faces this season are ranked or received
votes in the NAIA pre-season poll.
Jen
Cummins, Jessica Cooper, Angel Ross, April Holbrook, Cindy Leach,
and Jessica Bonzo return from last season.
Cooper has been the most accomplished singles player with
five wins over her career. The
other returners have had much more success playing doubles than
singles over their careers.
In
addition to the returning players, Rachel Smalley rejoins the team
after a year off. She
compiled a 4-6 singles record as a freshman to go along with a 6-4
record in doubles.
Of
the newcomers, Amy Richardson and Ashley Fender are most likely to
contribute early. Fender
is also a member of the Shawnee State soccer team.
“We
have a lot of players that are still fairly new to the game of
tennis,” said Coach Hamilton.
“They’ve been putting in a lot of work and have been
improving each week. I’m
really looking forward to the season.
It should be a great deal of fun.”
Shawnee
State opens the season on April 1. The Bears host 21st ranked
Cedarville University.
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