Season Outlook
Heading into the spring season, Head Coach Ann Koger will lead a young squad of Fords into the 2009 campaign with only one senior and three juniors on the roster. The short, 2008 fall non-traditional season saw a number of the sophomores and freshmen on the team gain valuable experience that they will need to apply to the upcoming schedule if the Fords are going to take the leap into conference playoff contender.
The challenges for the players begin in the preseason with spots in the singles ladder up for grabs. Doubles pairings and slots will solidify themselves during the preseason as well.
Leading the singles contingent for the Fords in 2009 will most likely be the trio of sophomore Katie Wettick, freshman Christina Bradley, and sophomore Helen Fisun. Wettick had an outstanding fall season and looks to be the front-runner for the No. 1 spot, but all three have the ability to land at the top of the ladder this spring.
At least five other players will vie for the Nos. 4-6 slots on the singles ladder. Experienced juniors Fumiko Shogase, Karen Lavi , and Jaclyn Porter will be challenged by sophomore Katie Drooyan and newcomer Liz Gallo to fill in the final three singles slots.
Lone senior and co-captain Sarita Kapadia has been on the bubble of the varsity roster as the team improved each of her first three seasons at Haverford. Now the veteran of the squad, Kapadia will utilize the learned traits of being a captain to bring the youthful team together. On the courts, her experience will prove to be invaluable as she claws her way up the singles ladder throughout what will be her final season.
Though a young team, the deeper talent pool that fills the current roster will improve the competitiveness among the team’s own players and should help the Fords within the competition season. Pushing each other and facing more challenges on a daily basis should translate into greater consistency and focus on the court when squaring off against opponents.
Within the Centennial Conference the Fords will face many rivals that are regionally ranked. A number of close calls against those opponents last year have left a bit of a sour taste in their mouths following narrow defeats.
The 2009 Fords expect to sweeten that taste and, with the progress the team expects, battle for one of the coveted spots in the postseason league tournament in May.