The Princeton women’s tennis team, eager to continue its Ivy League success, benefits from strong returning players and impressive new freshmen.
Last year, the Tigers were 13-10 and won their third consecutive Ivy title, earning, in tandem, their third straight bid to the NCAA Tournament. Led by then-senior Amanda Muliawan, who played No. 1 singles in the spring, the team won Ivies on a 5-2 record.
“Overall we had a successful season,” senior Sivan Krems said, reflecting on her junior season. “We definitely were hoping to go 7-0 in Ivies, but that’s something that we can strive for this year.”
Another goal to improve upon last year is to win a round or two at the NCAA Tournament, which current seniors were able to do three seasons ago.
“I think this year our goal definitely would be to win the first round there,” senior Alanna Wolff said of NCAAs. “If we get there, then probably even the next match to go to the round of 16.”
This year, the team will have to fill in the gaps of recent graduates Amanda Muliawan and Emily Hahn.
“Losing Amanda and Emily is obviously tough. Amanda played one for us, and Emily was a great doubles asset,” junior Katrine Steffensen said.
To fill in the gap left by Muliawan and Hahn, three freshmen this year bring impressive credentials and skills to the program, comprising the eleventh-ranked recruiting class in the nation, according to TennisRecruiting.net.
Tiffany Chen, who hails from Naperville, Ill., is a five-star recruit ranked No. 2 in Illinois and No. 28 in the nation. She won the Illinois state singles tournament as a sophomore and was the G16s Midwest Closed Doubles champion in 2013.
“Tiffany is a very strong competitor,” head coach Laura Granville said. “She is mentally tough and fights extremely hard in matches,” she continued. “She is really going to bring a fighting spirit to the team.
Clare McKee of Boca Raton, Fla., also a five-star recruit, is ranked No. 51 in the nation and No. 8 in Florida, a state famous for its competitive junior tennis. Over six feet tall, McKee brings height to the team and is a “real force at the net,” according to Granville.
Gaby Pollner, also from Boca Raton, is a Blue Chip recruit who was ranked No. 1 in Florida and No. 13 in the nation. She competed in Junior Wimbledon and the Junior U.S. Open last year and was ranked No. 129 in the world in the ITF junior rankings.
“I would like to see us win some Ivy Championships as a team and to do some damage at NCAAs,” Pollner said in anticipation of her college tennis debut. “My goals for myself I don’t find as important as being a value to the team … I would love to have individual success, but that’s not really my top priority as a member of the Princeton women’s tennis team.”
“They all have great attitudes,” said Wolf of her three new teammates. “I think they’re going to be really great assets.”
In addition to fresh talent on the team, several returning players will continue the traditional strength of the program. Steffensen played No. 2 singles last year, and Krems played No. 3. Senior Caroline Joyce, who played No. 4, also is returning.
“I think it’ll be really important for all of us to work together to unite the team and get the freshmen to achieve all of their potential,” Krems said.
Determining who will move to the top of the lineup is not a new task for the women’s tennis team, which faced a similar situation last year, after the graduation of previous No. 1 singles player Lindsay Graff.
“It’s going to be mixed up this year, and we don’t know who’s playing one, who’s playing two. The same goes for doubles,” Steffensen noted. “It’s really just who’s coming in to work hard, who’s doing well in their matches, and who’s being a good team player.”
The tennis team faces no shortage of team players with positive attitudes and strong work ethics.
“I’m very happy because the girls came back very fit. They’ve been working hard over the summer,” Granville said.
A prepared and enthusiastic team, the Tigers look forward to a challenging fall schedule. The Princeton Invitational, which took place last weekend, tipped off the 2016-17 season and is the lone home tournament this fall. Looking ahead, the team will travel to tournaments at North Carolina State (Sep. 23-25) and Penn (Sep. 30 - Oct.2). The Lakewood Ranch Invitational in Sarasota, Fla. (Nov. 4-6) is notable as the only clay tournament of the year.
Ideally for the women’s tennis team, the challenging fall schedule will prepare the players for their key matches in the spring.
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