FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern tennis team will begin its 2013 season this weekend, with a season-opening road match at St. Thomas on Saturday at 1 p.m. and the home-opener against North Florida on Sunday at 10 a.m.
“Our first match of the year is always exciting but yet suspicious as to the team presence and competition,” said head coach
Dr. Michael Coleman. “St. Thomas usually has a very challenging line-up, especially at the higher levels. Our match against North Florida will be very interesting to me, as this team is a very strong (NCAA) Division I team coming to us following their match against the University of Miami.”
The season-opening weekend fits into coach Coleman’s scheduling philosophy. When playing in D-II’s toughest conference, the Sunshine State Conference, the Sharks need to face the toughest competition possible in preparation. As Coleman stated, St. Thomas is a tough NAIA team that has proven roster at the top. The roster includes Tetiana Kovalska, who was the NAIA runner up at the USTA/ITA National Small College Championships.
North Florida is a proven D-I team that is looking to go 2-0 on the weekend against NSU and Miami, D-I’s 10th ranked team. They already began their season, shutting out Bethune-Cookman, 7-0. The Sharks will be able to use the weekend to gain momentum going into conference play, which starts in one week, and iron out the lineup for the season.
“This weekend’s line-up, without last minute changes, will find
Alexandra Johansson (So., Sydney, Australia) and
Carlee Rizzolo (Fr., Livingston, N.J.) playing No. 1 doubles with
Austin Lavallii (Sr., Williamston, Mich.) and
Charlotte Cote (So., Montreal, Canada) behind them followed by
Linda Kornienko (Fr., Fort Myers, Fla.) and
Bianca Roberts (So., Fort Walden Beach, Fla.),” said Coleman. “On the singles side, Alex will start the lineup, followed by Carlee, Charlotte, Linda, Bianca on Saturday and Iryna on Sunday, with
Luisa Pintado (Fr., Guadelajara, Mexico) closing out the score sheet.”
The Sharks lineup is loaded with newcomers, many of whom proved their ability in the Sharks’ strong fall season.
“The newcomers to our team, all freshmen, will actually make up half of our team for this season,” stated Coleman. “I am expecting their impact, combined with my returners, to set high expectations throughout the year.”
Alongside the slew of freshmen will be three sophomores expected to make a huge step up. However, none have expectations higher than All-American Johansson. Johansson was one of the top-20 tennis players in the nation last year, but in the brutal SSC, Johansson finished as the seventh highest ranked player. In 2013, she can take the next step to compete for the SSC Player of the Year award.
“Alex is a very competitive individual, in order for her to repeat as an All-American as well as achieve higher goals, she will just need to keep her consistence and competitive edge,” said Coleman. “Now only a sophomore, Alex shows continual maturity, which will only promote her level of play.”
NSUSharks.com will keep fans up to date on all the action this weekend. For live updates during the home match, follow the Sharks on Twitter at
Twitter.com/NSUSharks.
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