Women's Tennis Striving for it All in the 2010 Season

MIAMI SHORES, Fla.--On the heels of his first season as the Barry women’s tennis head coach, Avi Kigel’s Buccaneers posted a 17-8 overall record, a 5-3 conference record, and finished the 2009 season with a #13 national ranking. Last season ended for the women’s tennis team with a loss to Lynn in the NCAA South Region I Tournament finals on May 5.

In his first season, Kigel faced nationally-ranked opponents 10 times including four against top-10 teams. The Buccaneers posted a 5-5 record against those nationally-ranked opponents in 2009.

“It was a big adjustment for me,” Kigel said. “It was my first year here as the head coach. We lost three out of our six players and Berit [Peterson] was injured most of the year, so I basically had one player come back from the previous year. We just didn’t have the depth on last year’s team but overall we definitely maximized what we could do as a team. Overall I was very happy and proud of how the girls played last year.”

Last season, the Buccaneers posted high accolades and grabbed many individual honors. Sunshine State Conference Freshman of the Year, Caroline Wendling compiled a record of 20-3 in singles and 16-8 in doubles, First Team All-SSC honors, and was named Intercollegiate Tennis Association Rookie of the Year in the South Region. Wendling also excelled in academics being named to the Barry University Spring 2009 Dean's List and to the SSC Commissioner's Spring Honor Roll.

In addition to Wendling, sophomore Angie Werschel captured several awards as well. Werschel was named to the ITA All-American team, Second Team All-SSC in singles, and honorable mention All-SSC in doubles with partner Yulia Kashelkina. Werschel also excelled academically, earning a spot on the SSC Commissioner’s Spring Honor Roll and the Barry University Spring 2009 Dean’s List. Last season, Werschel amassed a 15-4 singles record and a 15-9 doubles mark, bringing her career total to 32-9 in singles and 33-19 in doubles.

2009 newcomer Yulia Kashelkina also preformed notably last season after transferring from Marshall University with two solid years of Division I experience. The Moscow, Russia native posted a 19 wins and four losses in singles play and a 16-9 doubles mark in her junior campaign. Kashelkina earned Second Team All-SSC honors and Honorable mention honors for her doubles play with partner Angie Werschel.

This season provides a completely different dynamic as Kigel has added eight newcomers to a squad that only lost one player to graduation. The incoming class is almost triple in size from Kigel’s inaugural recruiting class.

“The girls really seem to like one another,” Kigel said. “A lot of the girls are roommates, they hang out after practice with each other, and they eat at the cafeteria together. But it’s a long season and we are like a big family. Sometimes in the family you have little fights but in the end we come together around our goal to win a national championship.”

Headlining the newcomers is Hungarian native, Barbi Pocza. Pocza joined the Buccaneers last spring and was forced to sit out a year due to eligibility requirements. Prior to attending Barry, Pocza earned a #1 rank in Hungary in her age group five times from 2003-2008. She won the Hungarian championship in her age group five times and the Hungarian Women’s Championship at age 16. Pocza was a member of the Hungarian Junior National Team and represented Hungary in numerous junior matches from 2000-2004. In her junior career, Pocza earned an ITF career high ranking of 63 in 2004.

“Barbi [Pocza] is a very talented player with a lot of experience,” Kigel said. “She is a big hitter, was very successful throughout her junior career and I expect her preform toward to the top of our lineup.”

Some of the other newcomers looking to make an immediate impact are freshman Mia Fiocca, Junior transfer Darina Yablonskaya, and sophomore Julie Stas.

Fiocca, from New Rochelle, N.Y., is one of four players on the team from the U.S. In the fall Fiocca played in the semifinals at the C.L. Varner Memorial Invitational in doubles with teammate Darina Yablonskaya and lost to the eventual champions. The freshman defeated Caitlyn Baines from West Florida to win the Intercollegiate Tennis Association South Region Consolation bracket on Sept. 27, 2009. Fiocca won the singles back draw at the 2009 ERAU Open and partnered with Yulia Kashelkina in doubles action at the ERAU Open and won the doubles gold flight. Kigel expects her to contend for a top six position throughout the year.

Transferring from Lindsey Wilson College in Kentucky, Yablonskaya is also expected to compete for a spot on the squad’s top six. At Lindsey Wilson, Yablonskaya captured 22 wins with 11 losses in singles action from the number two and three position as well as 12 doubles wins with seven losses. Yablonskaya participated this past spring and on October 11, 2009 she took home the flight B consolation championship at the C.L. Varner Memorial Invitational. She also advanced to the doubles round of 16 at the ITA Region Championship on Sept. 27, 2009.

“I think we are much better this year,” Kigel said. “Some of our new players will come at the top of the lineup and the rest will give us some much needed depth. Last year we just didn’t have the depth to compete at the highest level and for a national championship. If anyone gets injured we can have someone step in right away without dropping the level of play.”

This season Kigel’s confidence in his team is evident through the remarkably difficult schedule he has assembled. The Buccaneers play six of the top 10 team in the nation including #1 Armstrong Atlantic, #2 Lynn, #4 Valdosta State and #7 West Florida. Barry is scheduled to play 21 matches this season and only one opponent is not ranked in the top-25 of their division.

“Again, our goal from the get go is to win a national championship,” Kigel said. “To win it you have to beat the best players and the best teams. Armstrong has been the best team in the country for the past two year. I think it is going to be a good experience for us to go there and play them and see the level that it takes to be at the top. After that match we will know exactly what we need to do to be at the top.”

The season starts for the Buccaneers on Saturday, Feb. 13 against Embry-Riddle at the friendly confides of the Buccaneer Tennis Center, starting at 11:00 a.m. The spring schedule features 11 home matches and concludes with the Sunshine State Conference Championships on April 15-17 hosted by Florida Southern in Lakeland, Fla. The NCAA Regionals are May 7-9 with the NCAA Finals set for May 13-16th in Altamonte Springs, Fla. at Sanlando Park.

“The conference is one of the strongest in the country,” Kigel said. “It’s always tough to play in the SSC, but it’s good. I like a strong schedule. The better teams we play, the better we will be. I’m very happy with our schedule.”