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Utah Looks to Get Back to Its Winning Ways
Utes return all but one letterwinner. (2/10)
Feb. 10, 2000 After missing its first appearance in the NCAA tournament in four years last season, the Utah women's tennis team hopes to get back on the winning track as a member of the new Mountain West Conference. While the conference is new, everything else has remained relatively the same for the Utes. Utah is still extremely young and inexperienced, but boasts stability and leadership in senior captain Megan Payne-Dorny, the top singles and doubles player. Although the Utes will play their perennial tough schedule, featuring eight top-70 teams, they hope to find comfort in the most favorable home schedule in school history. Twelve of the Utes' 17 matches will take place at the Eccles Tennis Center, including all of their Mountain West contests. If the team can overcome a rash of injuries and adversity Utah will be able to rely heavily on both its depth and the leadership of Payne-Dorny. "If we can get everyone healthy, we could have nine very tough players on the team," says Tsumas. "Our lineup will be based on weekly confidence in individual play since the seventh through ninth players won't be that far from being in the lineup. The number two through six spots are wide open." With only one letterwinner graduating from last year's squad, Utah has a strong nucleus of talented returning players. Junior Heidi Thomas, has appeared in the NCAAs twice. Thomas, along with Payne-Dorny, should help instill the competitiveness and determination the team needs to earn its fourth NCAA berth in five years. "Megan is playing a big leadership role and knows what it takes to win at the national level," says Tsumas. "She and Heidi have both been to the NCAAs twice, and I am hoping that they can lead this young team to understand what it takes to be an NCAA caliber team." The Utes' inexperience comes in the form of five sophomores, two freshman and a senior walk-on. Linn Ronnberg, Irini Kotoglou, Hillaree Hawkins, Brooke Wilkinson and Jane McBroom each have one year under their belt. However, Hawkins was out a majority of last season with a stress fracture to her left femur, Kotoglou played half the season with a wrist injury, and Wilkinson was relegated mainly to doubles action. The good news is that help is on the way. Freshmen Cassie Kasteler and Frida Kareld will join the team in January, while senior walk-on Anna Stechert spent the fall refining her competitive tennis skills. With only one spot secured in the singles lineup, it is evident that No. 79 ranked Payne-Dorny's leadership will serve as the glue in making this year's unit cohesive. Last year, she sported one of the best weekends in Utah women's tennis history by defeating MC White, the 1997 NCAA runner-up from top-ranked Florida, and 35th-ranked Katherine Nasser of national power Northwestern. Payne-Dorny's 20-7 overall record also included wins over No. 25 Angela Lawrence of Pepperdine and No. 97 Martina Ondrejkova of South Alabama on the road. Thomas, playing as high as No. 4 in the lineup, has been a consistent performer for the Utes. In her first two years, she had a combined 20-20 dual match record. Thomas upended top-50 Rice's Judith Hagedorn in the WAC Championships last year. She was unable to play during the fall due to a foot injury, but should be healthy come January. "Heidi needed some relief from her injury. But we need her consistency," says Tsumas. "As a junior, we are looking for her to step up and be dominant at a position in the lineup. She has beaten and has the ability to continue to beat players from top-50 teams." Ronnberg had a 1-1 record at No. 1 singles last season, played the majority of her matches at No. 3, compiling a 15-14 overall record as a freshman. She extended top-100 players, teammate Payne-Dorny and Nicola Kaiwai of Pepperdine to three-sets last year. Tsumas is looking for Ronnberg to enter this season riding the hot streak she ended on last year, winning all three matches at the conference championships. "Linn has a great variety of shots. She is learning to put all of her shots together. She is capable of having a big impact in our lineup," says Tsumas. Utah has yet to see the full potential of Kotoglou, but her dedication showed through, as she played through a 7-11 freshman year with an arm injury. Despite the injury, she was still able to extend 88th-ranked Paola Palencia of Pepperdine to three sets. "Irini basically played last season with one hand. She extended a top-100 player, and I feel she will be a huge factor on the team," states Tsumas. Primarily a doubles threat, Wilkinson, went three sets against No. 30 New Mexico's Nicoleta Spilca. She could contribute to the singles lineup, but Wilkinson's forte has been doubles play. "We're looking for Brooke to be an impact doubles player. She has great doubles skills," says Tsumas. Hawkins hoped to have a good freshman year, advancing to the semifinals of the Utah Invitational and going 5-5 to start the year before suffering two femur stress fractures, one in each leg. The injuries also kept her from competing in the fall. "We're hoping for great things from her. She's a tough mental player, and we need her back in the lineup," explains Tsumas. Utah has three new faces who could have an impact early in their Ute careers. Kasteler is a two-time Utah high school 5A state champion. She also won over 30 matches the last three months in the intermountain area. Kareld brings a lot of international experience, placing in the top-three consistently in Swedish juniors play. Stechert, a senior, brings maturity to the squad. She is refining her skills after a three-year layoff from tennis, in which she was a former No. 1 player on her German junior and senior women's teams. Doubles play can be a strength for the Utes this season. Payne-Dorny and Ronnberg advanced to the quarterfinals in the ITA Central Region tournament in the fall. As a freshman, Payne-Dorny finished ranked No. 42 nationally in doubles, while Ronnberg piled up an 11-4 record last year. Whomever Wilkinson gets paired up with the tandem should compete well in one of the top spots for Utah, as well.
With eight of its first nine matches at home, Utah has the opportunity to
get season off to a good start. If Utah can take advantage of the
leadership provided by one of the top players in the country, as well as a
favorable schedule, it could regain a position among the top nation's programs.
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