The Shippensburg University tennis team has had it woes in the past few years. Although morale stays at a high level wins have yet to surface for the Raiders.
The team continues to practice hard throughout the offseason but still have not found a way to win. SU hopes that the 2013-2014 campaign is a different story.
After dropping its final match of last season, the Raiders hope to start the upcoming season with a win.
The lineup is filled with returning players and only two freshman will take the court this season. With senior leadership from Cassie Sidone and Lisa Snader, SU’s veterans will need to lead the team to a winning season.
After finishing last season with a 1–13 record, it is important that the veteran members take control. SU lost its first nine matches before winning against Cheyney University. In the 2010–2011 season, SU had only one win, which also came against Cheyney. The Raiders have not had more than two wins during a season since 2005.
The two incoming freshman, Kayla Strohl and Brittnee Buckley, will hopefull have an immediate impact on the struggling squad. Strohl earned four varsity letters while playing tennis at Commonwealth Connections Academy. Strohl also competed on the men’ s tennis team, playing No. 3 singles. Buckley, who played at Hamburg Area High school played No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles while at Hamburg. Buckley was able to advance to district play and will need to bring that level of play to the Raiders.
Tennis opens its season on Sept. 12 with a match at Georgian Court. On Sept. 14 and 15, the PSAC individual championships will take place before entering into the regular season. Tennis has a unique season because the season is split between the fall and spring semester. The Raiders will close out the fall season with a match against Molloy. When the spring season begins, SU will match up against Shenandoah.
SU’s first home match will take place on Oct. 4 when Indiana Univeristy of Pennsylvania takes the court at Robb Sports Complex.
The Raiders will face a tough competitior in IUP. The Crimson Hawks finished second in the PSAC West last year.
The voyage ahead will not be an easy one for SU. It will need to take it one match at a time and get as many wins as possible to make a run toward the postseason.
The Raiders hope to put the previous years in the rearview mirror and start fresh this season.
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