Carrie Hartman

2004 Season Outlook

The Cedarville University women’s tennis program has put together a string of 15 consecutive winning seasons and the trend should continue this spring with five of the top six players returning to action. The Lady Jackets posted another successful campaign in 2003 that included their second straight NAIA Region IX championship and the third in the last four years.

Head coach Pam Johnson, now in her 28th year at the helm of the Lady Jackets, is again very optimistic about the prospects of another successful campaign and it is easy to understand why. “We have a solid group of returnees that will provide great leadership for us both on and off the court” stated Johnson. “With our top five returning from last year and another year of experience added under their belts, things point to another very good season.”

The biggest question mark in Johnson’s mind will be the recovery of senior Carrie Hartman. The two-sport athlete suffered a torn ACL at the beginning of the 2003 volleyball season that required reconstructive knee surgery. Hartman has been working hard in the rehab process but no one knows for sure how this will affect her game. The NCCAA All-American in singles and doubles posted a 14-3 mark last spring in the #2 singles position and was 6-4 in the #1 doubles slot. She also earned a spot on the American Mideast Conference Team in singles.

Jodi Kraker

Two other seniors join Hartman on the Lady Jacket roster. Sarah Rogers returns for her fourth season after earning NCCAA All-American honors in doubles last spring. The left-hander registered a 12-6 record playing #4 singles and was a NAIA-All America and NCCAA All-America Scholar-Athlete. Senior Amy Pearson joins the program for her first season of competition.

Four juniors are on the squad but there is limited experience amongst the group. Only Jolene Nourse has played the previous two seasons for the Lady Jackets. She posted a 10-10 singles mark in the #5 singles position and Coach Johnson will look to her for another solid performance on the court.

Junior Courtney Ruffin saw limited action last spring in her first season of competition and registered a 5-2 singles mark. Classmate Katie Krumeich, who played for CU in 2002 before sitting out last year, will seek to contribute and add depth.

Sophomores Jodi Kraker and Beth Staten return for another year after making significant contributions during their first seasons of collegiate competition. Johnson is excited about both and added, “Jodi and Beth will be vital keys to another successful season, They both improved throughout the year and I am anxious to see them perform this spring!”

Beth Staten

Kraker gathered in NCCAA All-America honors in both singles and doubles while Staten earned the award in singles. Kraker, with a mark of 7-11 last spring in #1 singles, and Staten, 11-3 in #3 singles, both received American Mideast Conference recognition in singles and doubles.

Johnson is grateful for the addition of freshman Kathryn Whaling from Minneapolis, MN. The rookie player brings skills and abilities that will put her in a battle for one of the top three spots in the Lady Jacket lineup. “Kathryn is a wonderful addition to our team, her skills are excellent and she competed with great success throughout her high school career,” added Johnson.

Freshman Colleen Derry will battle for playing time after competing for the CU women’s soccer team this past fall. The other newcomer on the team Is junior Tamara Ziegler, who joins the squad for her first season of play with a wealth of experience playing in South America.

The Lady Jackets will host six home matches this spring and face AMC South Division members Malone, Ohio Dominican, Shawnee State, Tiffin and Walsh. A challenging non-conference schedule includes early-season matches against Spring Hill (AL) and Judson (AL) plus Bethel (IN), Georgetown (KY), Huntington (IN), Taylor (IN) and NCAA Division III Wittenberg.