New Haven, CT – (8/24/2010) – Chosen to repeat as Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Champions, Concordia College (N.Y.) was tabbed as the league top team in this year's Women's Tennis Preseason Poll. The Clippers received eight, first-place votes and 80 total points; Philadelphia University was the only other team to garner as first-place vote. Chestnut Hill College was slotted fifth with 45 points.
Concordia College advanced to the quarterfinals of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Tournament after winning last year's CACC Championship Tournament. The Clippers were 17-2 overall and 8-0 in their first season as members of the league. They return eight players including CACC Rookie of the Year, senior Ola Roberts (Bucharest, Romania) and all-conference selections, sophomore Adeline Brennan (Toms River, N.J.), sophomore Yuliya Plevako (Astana, Kazakhstan), and sophomore Maria Ortiz (Bogota, Columbia).
Goldey-Beacom College fell to the Clippers in the CACC Championship last fall (5-3) and they narrowly keep that ranking with 61 points in this year's poll as Holy Family University finished directly behind them with 60 points. The Lightning had their best season in program history with a 13-5 overall record and a 7-1 conference mark. They return three all-conference players; sophomore Marina Sales (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), sophomore Blanca Sancho (Zaragoza, Spain), and sophomore Vanessa Leon Velasquez (Caracas, Venezuela). The Tigers finished 13-8 overall and 6-2 in the conference last year. They bring back a pair of all-conference, student-athletes, sophomore Juliana Victoria-Caldas (Guayaquil, Ecuador) and sophomore Jin Querubin (Mississauga, Ontario).
Philadelphia University was the only other school to receive a first-place vote, as they totaled 52 points to place fourth in the preseason poll. The Lady Rams return three players, including senior Daniela Rodriguez (Quito, Ecuador) who was the team's lone representative on the CACC All-Conference Team.
Chestnut Hill College earned 45 points in the poll to place fifth in the predicted standings. The Griffins are expected to show the league's most improvement after finishing in seventh place with a 2-6 CACC mark. Four Griffins return to the roster including sophomore Danielle Knott (Mt. Vernon, N.Y.), who battled through her freshman season as the Griffins' number two competitor. Head Coach Albert Stroble has also collected a talent batch of newcomers to bolster his roster in his fourth season at the helm.
The women's tennis team opens their 2010-2011 season with a 4:00 p.m. CACC match at Goldey-Beacom College on Wednesday, September 8.
CACC Women's Tennis
2010 Preseason Poll
School 2009 Record Pts.
1. Concordia (8) 17-2/8-0 CACC 80
2. Goldey-Beacom 13-5/7-1 61
3. Holy Family 13-8/6-2 60
4. Philadelphia (1) 10-9/5-3 52
5. Chestnut Hill 3-17/2-6 45
6. Georgian Court 6-12/3-5 39
7. Univ. of the Sciences 4-10/4-4 34
8. Post 1-10/0-8 18
9. Caldwell 1-9/1-7 16
() – First Place Votes
