2001 CUNYAC Women’s Tennis Preview

Rival Schools Could Battle It Out Once Again

After a second place regular season finish last year, Hunter snuck by their arch-rivals Staten Island, by three points (48-45), to capture the school’s eighth CUNYAC Women’s Tennis title in the 16th year of the event. Even though all eight CUNY participating colleges have early optimism, the two perennial contenders look to be on top of the hill once again.

Also, for the ninth time in the last ten seasons, the championship will be played at the premiere place for net play in the United States, if not the world, the USTA National Tennis Center, on Friday October 19th & Saturday, October 20th.

“We’re going into the season like defending champions,” said third-year Hunter head coach Jocelyn Cruz. “But each season we have to work hard to get to that point, we will do our best to defend and to come out on top.”

The defending champion Hawks (6-9, 6-1) have seven returning players, including two-time CUNY #1 singles champion Iris Antonescu. A senior from Astoria, NY, Antonescu struggled through injuries last year, only managing a 6-7 season mark in singles. She won the first doubles title for the second straight season with Ita Chavez-Geller, who was the team’s lone graduate. Back at number two is sophomore Maureen McBride, who won her flight’s singles and doubles tiltes last year. A 5’11 native of Ridgefield, CT, McBride had a 13-2 singles record capped by winning her last nine matches of the season. Coincidentally, she was the 2000 CUNY Most Valuable Athlete in Swimming before turning her attentions to tennis last fall.

At #3, Cruz plans on inserting a freshman from Las Vegas, NV, Rachel Swygert. “Rachel’s got the desire to play as a freshman,” said Cruz. “She has the fundamentals and the willingness to learn.”

Also back for the Hawks are sophomores Marilyn Penaco (Bronx, NY), Maria Denisova (Brooklyn, NY) and junior Esther Montoro (Madrid, Spain) who will play the fourth, fifth and sixth flights respectively. Penaco was a double-winner last year, winning the CUNY titles is singles and doubles, while both Denisova and Montoro lost as a team in the #3 doubles final and individually in the #5 & #6 finals last year.

“I’ve been very fortunate to have these players back and watch them grow,” said Cruz. “It’s a pleasure to coach women like Iris and Marilyn and not have to start from zero each year.”

Last year’s Regular Season Champion Staten Island (7-3, 7-0) also has an experienced squad, causing head coach Bruce Knittle to have guarded optimism.

“We return our top four players, including Liza Dungo, the #1 CUNY singles champion last season,” claimed Knittle. “It’s a positive feeling knowing that they have played at least a year of CUNY tennis.”

The Dolphins are led by a pair of native Staten Islanders, Dungo a junior, and Amanda Klein, a senior from Staten Island along with two second-year players, Dharma Musacchio (Brooklyn, NY) and Georgia Penso (Italy). Penso moves up to flight #4 after winning CUNY titles at #6 singles and #3 doubles a year ago.

Their anticipated head-to-head match with the Hawks is slated for October 11th at CSI.

Last season’s third place finish was a surprise for John Jay (4-3, 4-3) in their first season on the women’s side, as the Bloodhounds played a steady lineup in each match. This year, Athletic Director Dr. Susan Larkin steps into the coaches chair with senior Warunee Maikoksoong (New York, NY) in the top spot. Other returnees include sophomores Shakeima Pelzer (Bronx, NY), Sybil Olmo (Bronx, NY) and Thao Nguyen (Queens, NY).

Fourth place was a logjam in 2000, with Brooklyn, CCNY and Baruch tied at 3-4. CCNY (3-6) could surprise many as new head man David Gartrelle returns 5’5 junior Evelyn Chang from Queens, NY. Chang has been considered one of the best talents in CUNY over the past two seasons. At numbers two and three Gartrelle expects two sophomores to fare well. Destani Spears (Bronx, NY) and Crista-Gaye Foster (Queens, NY) compiled 3-3 and 4-2 singles records respectively in their freshman campaign.

Like Hunter and CSI, Brooklyn (4-9) returns a veteran lineup with the Bridges top five players returning. New coach Maria Bucca will count on juniors Anna Machkina (Brooklyn, NY) and Jennifer Super (Rockville Centre, NY) to hold down the top two spots. Sophomore Yolanda Hillocks (St. Vincent) and four-sport senior Ariana Weitzman (Brooklyn, NY) are slotted for spots three and four for BC.

Baruch (3-7) on the other hand, has a grizzled veteran coach, but brand new roster. “This is my youngest team by far,” said head coach Florin Giuglescu. “Other than Caroline [Cabrera] Barbara [Boczkowska] it’s a new team.”

Cabrera is a senior from Manhattan, while Boczkowska, a sophomore from Woodside, Queens advanced to the CUNY finals last year in both singles (#3) and doubles (#2). The Stateswomen’s new number one will be sophomore Helena Durst, who lives in Manhattan.

Despite 13 players on the roster for the upcoming season, second-year Lehman head coach Steve Schulman has a relatively young squad. Returning for the Lightning (4-11, 2-5) are second year players Sherry Ann Jenkins (Bronx, NY), Ariane Lalla (Bronx, NY) and Erica Hinds (Bronx, NY). Both Jamaican born, Jenkins (2-5 singles mark) and Hinds (3-3) show promise for the future. Look for newcomer Desirae Ross (Jamaica, NY), a two-time CUNY all-star basketballer, to make an impact.

New York City Tech (0-7, 0-7) struggled through the school’s first-ever tennis season last year. But second-year head coach Devon Myers knows that with a year under their belt, City Tech should steadily improve with the likes of seniors Keisha Kydd (St. Lucia) and Kelley Ferguson (Brooklyn, NY).

--CUNYAC--