W. Tennis Wins Seven USA South Matches
WINCHESTER, Va. - For the next two weeks, the Shenandoah University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics will be looking back at its top 10 highlights of the 2008-09 school year.
For the complete list and overview of the project, please click here.
Today, we look at the No. 10 highlight: Women's Tennis winning a school-record seven USA South Conference matches.
The women's tennis team has had some notable individual successes during its history - Lauren John (1994), Jen McNeal (1999) and Anne Stephenson (2004) all won the USA South Conference No. 1 singles flight championships with Stephenson adding a doubles crown in '04 as well, but team success has been limited.
Shenandoah has had nine head women's tennis coaches since 1992 and seven of the eight departed coaches left with a sub-.500 record.
That all changed in four years ago with the addition of Kimberly Scruton as head coach.
Since Scruton took over the program in January 2006, the team has won 36 of 62 matches including a school-record 12 overall matches in 2006-07.
However, the conference improvement had lagged slightly behind the climb up the overall ladder. Prior to this year, Scruton's teams had posted five-win seasons in the league each year and was coming off of a 5-4, fifth place showing in 2007-08.
Bolstered by a lineup of three freshmen, a sophomore and two seniors, the 2008-09 women won seven of nine USA South Conference matches and posted its first-ever victory over Christopher Newport by trouncing the Captains 7-2 on April 8.
"We had a great year, and it was awesome to be a part of it," Scruton said. "The women improved all season long, especially from the end of the fall season to the start of the spring, and were rewarded for the work they put in."
The team was 5-1 at home, losing to just regular season champ Methodist University, and won five of six matches to finish the regular season.
Following the regular season, three women earned All-USA South accolades and had its first first-team honoree in five years.
