Cedarville College
Yellow Jackets
2000 Women's Tennis
Season Outlook
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| Casey Ruffin |
Pam Johnson has experienced a lot of tennis in her 24 years as head women's coach at Cedarville College and she knows when enough talent is present to get excited about the season. This happens to be one of those years.
Lack of experience is not a problem. Lack of depth is not a problem. Finding the right combinations to get the maximum out of the full roster may be the primary challenge.
"This is perhaps the most seasoned team I have ever had at Cedarville," she claimed. "We have experience and we have excellent depth. That tends to lead to predictability and we are most optimistic about the season."
Five players are in their final year at Cedarville. Four already have three years of varsity collegiate experience and another will be playing her third. The four singles players are also back in the lineup.
Leading the way is returning #1 player Casey Ruffin. The senior from Grand Lake, CO is a three-time all-conference performer and an NAIA All-America Scholar-Athlete. She starts the year with a 27-13 career singles record and 32-7 doubles mark.
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| Head Coach Pam Johnson with Amy Gregory (left) and Elizabeth Wolfe |
Ginger Butler is back for her fourth season. The graduate student, who completed her undergraduate degree in three years, has a remarkable 36-5 career singles record for a .878 winning percentage to go along with an equally impressive 31-10 record in doubles. The three-time all-conference player is an NAIA All-America Scholar-Athlete.
Senior Elizabeth Wolfe brings her 30-9 career singles record to the #3 spot which she held down last year. She was voted to the all-conference squad as a junior and, like Ruffin and Butler, is an NAIA All-America Scholar-Athlete.
Two other seniors, Angela Mast and Julie Gregory, are also in the lineup. Mast is back for her fourth straight season while Gregory returns following a one-year layoff.
Amy Gregory, Julie's younger sister, enjoyed an outstanding freshman season going 14-3 at #4 singles. She also won the AMC Flight #4 singles title and teamed up with Wolfe for the Flight #2 doubles crown.
Five newcomers add to the 11-player roster. The Yellow Jackets play seven matches on the campus courts including four in a span of six days in mid-April. The NAIA Region IX Tournament will be contested on May 11-13 in Canton with the winner earning an automatic bid to the NAIA National Tournament.
