By Justin Sucher
Western Herald
(Chyn Wey Lee / Western Herald) Bronco freshman Jenny Nalepa returns a serve against Wisconsin-Milwaukee earlier this season. Nalepa is 17-6 overall in singles this season.
This weekend will be a busy one for the Western Michigan University women’s tennis team. After a 2-0 weekend, the Broncos (8-3) have four matches, beginning on Friday when they take on the No. 70 Michigan State University Spartans.
“We were able to win both matches last weekend, but we didn’t play our best tennis,” said head coach Betsy Kuhle. “We need to play steady tennis this weekend.”
The Spartans (6-4) are coming off a sweep last weekend, beating Bowling Green State University, 7-0, and Cleveland State University, 7-0. Michigan State features senior Stephanie Kebler and sophomore Lindsay Longergan, the sixth-ranked doubles team in the Midwest. The Broncos will look to improve their doubles play.
“We definitely have to improve our doubles play,” Kuhle said. “Our singles was good, but we need to be consistent from day to day.”
“Our doubles groups haven’t played that well,” said senior Kerstin Pahl. “This is a big weekend with four matches and if we want to be successful, we have to step it up.”
Friday’s match is an “Evening at the Hills,” where the first 50 fans to sign up to be a part of the Bronco Tennis Racquet Rowdies receive dinner and a T-shirt. The match begins at 6 p.m.
On Saturday, the Broncos will face Rice University at 1 p.m. The Owls (8-4) were ranked as high as No. 69 this season, but are no longer ranked after their recent losses to the 34th-ranked University of Washington Huskies, 7-0, and No. 40 Sacramento State University Hornets, 5-2. The Owls boast Julie Chao, the No. 23 ranked singles player in the Southwest and member of the 2008 All-Conference USA First Team.
“If we want to continue our success, we have to work hard every day in practice and show that when we play,” said senior Ashley Moccia. “If we’re not consistent, we won’t win the [Mid-American Conference].”
The Broncos will conclude the weekend with a Sunday doubleheader against No. 41 DePaul University at 1 p.m. The DePaul Blue Demons (10-2) are currently riding a five-match winning streak
heading into the weekend, most recently beating the University of Iowa and the University of Kansas. The Blue Demons feature the No. 111 ranked singles player in the country, Dunja Antunovic. Antunovic was a member of the 2008 Big East All-Tournament Team.
In the nightcap of the doubleheader, the Broncos face Valparaiso University at 6 p.m. The Crusaders (1-4) are fresh off a 6-1 loss to Oakland University. The Crusaders are coming off a disappointing 2-17 season in 2008.
All of the matches this weekend will be held at the West Hills Athletic Club.
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