As the old saying goes, “A little hard work eventually pays off.” The Plymouth State University Women’s Tennis team bought home victory from the Little East Conference Tournament Championships; defeating rival and LEC defending champions Rhode Island College by a single point to advance to the NCAA Division III Tournament in May 2007. This is the second LEC championship the lady Panthers have earned in three years.
The Panthers completed their season with an overall record of 8-3 and a 6-1 record in the LEC.
The team is looking to return strong next year, as they are only losing three seniors, Kiley Boyd, Brittany Campbell and Erica Huckins.
“We started out slow, but they really had a great tournament,” said head coach Barbara Rawlsky-Willett.
After dropping their first two matches of the season, PSU recovered to dominate the competition, winning six straight games to improve to 6-2 overall on the season and a perfect 5-0 mark in the conference.
In their final home-match of the regular season, the Panthers hosted defending LEC Champion rivals Rhode Island College. The Panthers were defeated 8-1, but did not go without a fight. They pushed the Anchorwomen to their limits, forcing several sets before falling in a painful defeat.
Jill Deyermond earned two wins in the consolation round at the LEC Tournament to give her a 6-8-season record at No. 1 singles, and a 22-20-career record. Huckins came together in the second day of the tournament to earn her second LEC singles title, having won the No. 2 singles title in 2004. She finished the regular season with an 11-3 singles record and an overall career record of 30-13. Meghan Rodier, Joan Kietzman and Kiley Boyd also all earned singles titles this season.
The Panthers will take a break and continue practicing for the NCAA Division III Tournament, where they will represent the Little East Conference.
“We just have to prepare to go in May. It’s exciting but unknown. We have never been in this position before,” said Rawlsky-Willett.
We congratulate the Plymouth State University Women’s Tennis team on their remarkable 2006 season. This is the second LEC championship the lady Panthers have earned in three years.