WILLIAM ADAMS
Staff Writer
Monday found the Pepperdine Women’s tennis team sweating to the oldies. “We’ve been surfing; running on the beach to get in good shape,” said junior Alexandria Lilies, a transfer from University of Florida. “We have been practicing hard, working on drills and playing matches.”
The lady Waves are well into the swing of things as they look forward to the 2007 fall season, which starts tomorrow.
“I think we can actually go far in the NCAA tourney,” said freshman Anamika Bhargava. “We have a lot of heart.”
Sweating along with the team were Assistant Coach Cintia Tortorella and Head Coach Gualberto Escudero.
“We’re working on getting back into shape,” Escudero said. “We are starting some hitting drills and we started playing some points in games and sets.”
“We are more hard-working this year,” Kosakowski said. “We are more energetic.”
The Waves are hoping to improve on their 19-9 finish last year. Seniors Raine Mitchell, Bianca Dulgheru, and Sylvia Kosakowski will anchor the up and coming team. The addition of two talented freshmen, as well as a transfer junior, will help push the women off to a strong start. Freshman Anamika Bhargava left Tenessee ranked No. 1 individually in the state. Fellow freshman Kimberly Haynes ranked 19 in the southwest and 16 in the state of California. Alexandria Lilies decided to trade the east coast for the west, transferring from the University of Florida this year. The addition of these three girls to the already strong group will only bolster Pepperdine’s chances for success this year.
According to the coaches, the team is looking good through their early season practices. However, this affirmation did not come without warning. “It’s hard to say how good we are because we haven’t played any opponents yet,” Escudero affirmed. “We have many days where we look like a very good team. We need to maintain this high level of focus through practice. It has been hard to keep the girls focus so far, but I understand that; tennis is the longest collegiate season.”
Women’s tennis seems to agree on a few common goals.
“We want to be a top 10 team,” sophomore Tania Rice stated. The team also hopes to do well in the NCAA tournament and reach the Sweet 16 at least. “Hopefully we can do it this year,” Kosakowski echoed.
The team will get the action started tomorrow at the Riviera/ITA All-American Championships when Andre Begemann, Bianca Dulgheru and Sylvia Kosakowski take the court for the first time this season. Their outstanding performance last year earned them not only All-American Honors, but also an invitation to the prestigious event.
09-27-2007
