CONCORDIA COLLEGE CHOSEN FIRST IN CACC WOMEN'S TENNIS PRESEASON POLL
NEW HAVEN, CT (August 20, 2009) - Concordia (N.Y) College, which is beginning its first season as a member of the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC), has been chosen first according to the 2009 CACC Women's Tennis preseason poll. The Clippers were followed in the poll by last year's CACC Champion, Philadelphia University, and Holy Family University. The Tigers earned one first-place nod. The nine conference head coaches conducted the voting.
Goldey-Beacom College finished in the fourth spot with 49 votes, while Chestnut Hill College was fifth (41), followed by the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia (37), Post University (17) and Caldwell College (15).
Concordia, which received eight of the nine first-place votes and 80 total points, was previously a member of the East Coast Conference (ECC). The Clippers advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division II Tournament last season, defeating the University of Nebraska-Kearny in the round of 16 before falling to Abilene Christian University. Concordia swept Philadelphia, 5-0, in the opening round of the tournament. Concordia returns the 2008 ECC Player of the Year, Christina Oliveira, and 2008 ECC Rookie of the Year, Maria Ortiz. Oliveira accumulated a 16-1 singles record last season and went 18-2 in doubles. Ortiz posted records of 13-5 in singles and 18-2 in doubles.
Philadelphia finished second in the poll with 69 points. The Lady Rams won the 2008 CACC Championship with a 5-3 victory over Holy Family and finished the season 17-7 overall and 7-0 in conference play. The squad welcomes back junior Daniela Rodriguez, who was named the 2008 CACC Player of the Year after capturing the singles tournament championship. She compiled a 24-4 record in singles action and was 20-7 in doubles. Also back for the Lady Rams is 2008 CACC Rookie of the Year, Christina Brzozowski, who finished the season 11-7 in singles and 12-6 in doubles.
The 2009 season gets underway on Saturday, Aug. 29, when Chestnut Hill travels to face Philadelphia in a non-conference match. Georgian Court will also host Molloy that day. The CACC Team Tournament will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 13 and Thursday, Oct. 15, with the championship match set to be played at Chestnut Hill. The individual tournament will also be hosted by Chestnut Hill on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 16 and 17.
| 2009 Women's Tennis | ||
| Preseason Poll | ||
| Team | 2008 Records | Points |
| 1. Concordia (8) | 13-1/6-0* | 80 |
| 2. Philadelphia | 17-7/7-0 CACC | 69 |
| 3. Holy Family (1) | 11-8/6-1 | 61 |
| 4. Goldey-Beacom | 11-3/5-2 | 49 |
| 5. Chestnut Hill | 5-15/2-5 | 41 |
| 6. USP | 4-7/3-4 | 37 |
| 7. Georgian Court | 6-13/4-3 | 36 |
| 8. Post | 2-10/0-7 | 17 |
| 9. Caldwell | 2-12/1-6 | 15 |
| ()-First Place votes | ||
| *-As member of ECC |