Tigers Tennis Set to Serve

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (Jan. 14, 2009) – The 2009 women’s tennis season is sure to be a promising one as the squad aims to rebound from an injury laden 2008 campaign in which they finished fourth for the third consecutive season. Occidental will boast one of the deepest squads in recent history as eight letter winners return. Rounding out the team will be seven new faces, including a group of five talented freshmen.

With the eight top players having been tournament players in junior tennis, the depth is key. The top six Tigers have all had national tournament experience which will impact the 2009 season.

Three starters will once again take the court for the Tigers including co-captain Jennifer Wahba (First Team All-SCIAC) and Marissa Cassman (Second Team All-SCIAC) along with co-captain Taylor Kaplan.

The top three freshmen are comprised of Krishnaveni Subbiah, Briana Cartwright, and Frances Hutton who will all see significant action this spring and will be instrumental to the success of the team. During first semester Subbiah won the consolation bracket of the Fall ITA tournament in Claremont.

Another pair who will contribute this season are sophomore Isabelle Ying and dual sport athlete, Stephanie Babij, who missed last spring with a broken finger.

A number of injuries limited the Tigers a year ago, which has been a weakness for Occidental. During the off season the team was able to work with Strength and Conditioning Coordinator Yamil Verde. Participation in both on-court and on-field conditioning should help the team to maintain strength and health throughout the season.

“I like the dynamics of our squad,” Head Coach Linda Park shared. “I believe that we will be very competitive this year. We are a better team than last year and if we are able to stay healthy, we have a nice shot at improving both our conference and our regional rankings.”

Ideally the Tigers will climb in the SCIAC rankings this season and aim to finish among the top three teams in the league.

Occidental begins its competitive season on Sat. Feb. 7 against Division I UC Riverside on the road. The Tigers will host 12 home matches in 2009 with eight on campus and four at the Burbank Tennis Center.