2/15 - PREVIEW: Balanced Bruins Seek Consistency in Bid to Rise in NWC
NEWBERG, Ore. - With a roster that goes 12 deep, eight of them returning letterwinners, the George Fox University Bruins entertain hopes of improvement and perhaps a step or two up the Northwest Conference women's tennis ladder as the spring 2007 season approaches.
"We don't have that big No. 1 player who is likely to win almost every time out, but everyone on our team has shown enough talent that we expect them all to get in a match or two before the year is over," says head coach Rick Cruz, who enters his seventh season as the mentor for his alma mater's women's program.
The Bruins lost five letterwinners off last year's team which went 3-13 overall and 3-11 for an eighth-place finish in the conference. Key losses were No. 1 and No. 3 players Courtney Ngai and Kelsie Dalke and the team's most consistent winner, Laura Rogers, who was 8-7 at No. 5 singles and 7-8 at No. 3 doubles.
Valerie Ring (Sr., Sherwood, Ore. / Sherwood HS), a left-hander who was 6-9 at No. 4 singles and 7-7 at No. 3 doubles, has seized the No. 1 singles role this season. According to Cruz, "Val is a battler who has stepped up her game and should give us some competitive fire at No. 1."
Last year's No. 2 player, Kelsie Howell (So., Lake Oswego, Ore. / Lakeridge HS), underwent off-season shoulder surgery and may be questionable for the spring, but if she is ready to go, she should return to the No. 2 spot. After that, the lineup is largely unsettled because of the relative strength of the players.
"If Kelsie is unable to go, our 2 through 6 players may rotate a lot, depending on who is playing well at the time," admits Cruz. "Right now, it looks as if we might go with Leilani Jackson (So., McMinnville, Ore. / McMinnville HS) at No. 2, Lindsay Hagler (Jr., Selah, Wash. / Selah HS) at No. 3, Rebecca Crinnion (Jr., Seattle, Wash. / Lake Washington HS) at No. 4, with our top freshman, Brittany Ekstrom (Fr., Gresham, Ore. / Sam Barlow HS) at No. 5, and Shanna Lesire (So., Silverton, Ore. / Silverton HS) at No. 6. But as I said, that could shift around."
Alayna Shaw (Jr., Salem, Ore. / Blanchet Catholic HS), who saw action in several doubles matches last year, could see increased court time this year, while newcomers Linsey Wages (Fr., Springfield, Ore. / Thurston HS) and Stephanie Kaylor (Fr., Gresham, Ore. / Centennial HS) figure to make an impact as well. Rounding out the roster are Lauren Miller (So., Pendleton, Ore. / Pendleton HS) and Danika Heering (Jr., Bend, Ore. / Mountain View HS), a transfer from Central Oregon Community College.
In doubles, Cruz has tabbed Hagler and Shaw as the probable No. 1 team, with Ring and Jackson at No. 2, and Ekstrom and Lesire at No. 3. "Lindsay and Alayna have played together before and make a pretty good team," notes Cruz. "The No. 2 and No. 3 doubles will probably be the most changeable."
Cruz, who is also the Bruin men's tennis coach, will again have as his capable assistant his twin brother Rob Cruz. The staff will be joined this spring by former Bruin men's tennis player Luke Lesh.
The season gets under way for the Bruins Friday, Feb. 16, with a conference match at the University of Puget Sound at 4 p.m. The Bruins will remain in Tacoma, Wash., Saturday to play Albertson College in a non-conference neutral-court match at UPS at 9 a.m., before returning home to host Lewis & Clark College Sunday at 12 noon in another league match.