Season Preview: Women's Tennis aims for third straight OAC Tournament title; fourth consecutive OAC Regular Season Championship
By: Andrew Korba
Under the guidance of 13th year head coach Scott Wills, the Ohio Northern women's tennis team hopes to continue its success in 2013-14 both on the court and in the classroom.
After capturing the first OAC title in school history in 2002, the Polar Bears have become a perennial power in the OAC. ONU is currently on an unprecedented undefeated streak in the OAC, winning 27 consecutive matches, with its last loss coming in May of 2010.
The Polar Bears have been OAC Regular Season and Tournament champion or runner-up in 11 of the last 12 years, which has included team titles in 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2013.
In the classroom, the Polar Bears have been named as an Academic All-American Team by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association for 11 of the last 12 years.
In addition to the always difficult OAC schedule, the Polar Bears will face a tough non-conference schedule against a number of Division I, II NAIA and nationally ranked Division III programs.
During spring break, Ohio Northern will travel to Tampa, Florida, where it will train at the nationally recognized Saddlebrook Tennis Academy.
The Polar Bears are aiming for their OAC season to culminate with participation in the OAC Tournament.
The top four teams will compete for the OAC Tournament title at the Lindner Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio, with the champion receiving an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
The Lindner Family Tennis Center is one of the finest tennis facilities in the United States and is the annual host to the Western & Southern Open, a U.S. Open Series event.
Wills welcomes back five returning letter winners from the 2012-13 squad, that posted a 27-5 record, winning its third straight OAC Regular Season title and second consecutive OAC Tournament championship. ONU also advanced the NCAA III Tournament Second Round for the second consecutive season.
Returning for the Polar Bears is First Team All-OAC honoree sophomore Christina Corbean. Last season, Corbean posted a 32-15 record, including a 15-3 mark in doubles action.
Sophomore Meghan Letizia also returns after setting the singles season overall wins (50) and tying the doubles wins (26) record, on her way to a Second Team All-OAC honor.
Sophomore Rachael Miller and sophomore Taryn Stromback also return after receiving Honorable Mention All-OAC honors.
Junior Kristin Cellentani is back, after missing part of last season with an injury. Wills also welcomes two newcomers in sophomore Brooke Taylor and freshman Brittany Toney.
"We're a relatively young team, but our sophomores played key roles during their freshman year," said Wills. "We'll need to leverage this experience along with that of junior Krisitin Cellentani. If we combine this experience along with a strong work ethic and team focus, we can create another special year for Polar Bear tennis."