Conference Carolinas

Erskine Ranked First in Women’s Tennis Coaches Preseason Poll

2/4/2015 12:00:00 AM

High Point, NC – After dominating the conference for the past decade, the conference coaches have again voted the Erskine Flying Fleet to win the conference title. But the Fleet, who went 18-6 last year, will need to work hard to retain their claim on the number one spot.

The Fleet return five all-conference players from last year’s squad, including three-time all-conference honoree and former conference freshman of the year Mika Goyette. Goyette, a senior, went undefeated in doubles play and lost only one conference match in singles last season.

Joining Goyette at the top of the ladder are junior Miranda Guthrie, who earned 1^st Team All-Conference honors, and sophomore Sarah McDonald. Guthrie went 9-1 at both #2 singles and doubles while McDonald played through a shoulder injury to an 8-1 record at #4 singles and #2 doubles and 3^rd Team All-Conference recognition. McDonald has recovered from her injury and has impressed Head Coach Calhoun Parr with her play this year.

Also returning are junior Haley Elliott and sophomore Mollie Polk. Both players were voted to the all-conference team last year. Elliott was perfect in conference play, going 9-0 in singles and 5-0 in doubles. Polk was nearly as impressive, going undefeated in conference singles at 9-0 and losing just one doubles conference match.

The Pfeiffer women’s tennis team has been picked to finish second in the preseason coach’s poll heading into the 2014-15 season. The Falcons return nearly the entire roster from a season in which they set school records for most wins in a season and most consecutive wins.

Pfeiffer won its first 14 matches to start the season under first year coach Justin Fainter and advanced to the Conference Carolinas Championship match. Headlining the returners is sophomore Olivia Nelms who was named Conference Carolinas Player of the Year and Conference Carolinas Freshman of the Year in her rookie season. Nelms posted a 14-2 overall record and an 8-1 mark in the number one singles slot for Pfeiffer. Nelms won six straight singles matches and recorded all but one of her wins in straight sets. She also competed in number two doubles and finished with a nearly perfect record at 17-1.

Also returning is Taylor Lindsay, a First Team All-Conference player in 2014. Lindsey went 15-3 (8-1 in conference) playing the majority of the time in second singles. Lindsay teamed with Valeria Mendoza to go 17-4 in first doubles, including a 7-2 record in conference play. Hannah Watson went 15-3 in singles play and 20-1 in doubles competition on her way to being named Second Team All-Conference.

Led by three returning All-Conference selections, Limestone College women’s tennis has been picked third by the league coaches in the 2015 Conference Carolinas Women’s Tennis Preseason Poll. Head coach Alan Ferguson returns all six starters from last year’s lineup that finished third in the regular season and at the conference tournament.

Sophomore Alexandra Boulbin and juniors Marian Pinate and Manon Janin were all Second-Team All-Conference members a season ago, and they join former All-Conference performer senior Julia Moreira to form one of most feared top lineups in the conference. Those four combined to win over 40 singles matches a season ago.

Mount Olive finished fourth in the poll with Barton fifth followed by North Greenville, King, Converse, Lee-McRae, and Belmont Abbey College respectively rounding-out the poll standings.

Conference Carolinas Women’s Tennis Preseason Poll 

(# of First Place Votes in Parenthesis)