BEREA, OHIO -- The 2010 Baldwin Wallace University women's tennis team returns five starters and four All-Ohio Athletic Conference players from a squad that placed second in both the OAC regular season and postseason tournament last spring. Veteran Head Coach Jack Bethlenfalvy's Yellow Jackets will be looking to compete for the team's third OAC Championship in four seasons.
Bethlenfalvy is in his 26th year at the helm of the Yellow Jackets and is the winningest coach in program history with a career mark of 278-183. He guided BW to an OAC title and NCAA Tournament appearance in both 2007 and 2008.
Last season, the Yellow Jackets returned from an extremely difficult slate of spring trip matches in Hilton Head, South Carolina and won 13 of 16 matches to finish 13-11 overall and 8-1 in the OAC.
Bethlenfalvy returns four All-OAC players in senior Andrea Essig (Conneaut/Ashtabula Edgewood), juniors Caitlyn Pecinovsky (Whitehall/Bishop Hartley) and Emily Pelosi (Uniontown/Green), and sophomore Jenny Greene (Worthington/Thomas Worthington). Also back is junior three-year starter Katy Marshall (Medina/Senior).
Pecinovsky was a first-team All-OAC selection last year after earning second-team honors as a freshman. She posted 12 wins at number one singles, including a 7-2 mark in the OAC, and teamed with Marshall for a 15-9 mark at No. 1 doubles with a 6-3 record in the OAC.
Pelosi, who earned second-team All-OAC status, was 16-11 overall, including a 13-8 mark at No. 4 singles. For her career, she has 30 singles wins and 16 doubles wins.
Greene also earned second team All-OAC honors with 13 singles wins, including eight at No. 2. She also was a member of BW's No. 2 doubles team that posted 12 victories.
Essig, an honorable-mention All-OAC pick, won nine matches at No. 3 singles and teamed with Pelosi at No. 3 doubles for a 6-2 mark.
Marshall posted a 15-9 record in dual matches and was a perfect 9-0 in the OAC, playing primarily at sixth singles.
The Yellow Jackets also return senior Alisha Shivers (East Liverpool) and junior Nicole Fung (Strongsville) and have a trio of freshman in Rebecca Mittler (Elyria/Catholic), Danielle Rueger (Ashland/Senior) and Anna Callahan (Williamsville, N.Y./Clarence Central).
BW opens play on Saturday, February 13 at Oberlin College at 9:30 a.m. and also plays at Kenyon College on February 27 at 1:00 p.m. The Yellow Jackets head south for their annual spring break trip to Hilton Head from March 6-13 and will play six matches in four days. BW opens its home schedule with a double-header versus Ashland University and Marietta College on Saturday, March 20. The Marietta match also serves the 2010 OAC opener.
FOR MORE BW Sports Information, please contact Sports Information Director Kevin Ruple by telephone at 440-826-2327 and e-mail at kruple@bw.eduor Assistant SID Nick Minerd by phone at 440-826-2780 and e-mail at nminerd@bw.edu. Fans can access the latest BW athletics information at www.bw.edu/athletics and we invite you to join us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/bwathletics.
