North Carolina State University Athletics
Dedication. Determination. Teamwork.
11/24/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Nov. 24, 2004
RALEIGH, N.C. - When discussing the 2004-05 women's tennis season with head coach Hans Olsen, three goals are evident; dedication, determination and teamwork.
Entering his fourth year at the helm of the Wolfpack women's tennis program, Olsen, who was recently inducted into the Charleston Southern University Athletics Hall of Fame, is expecting his best season to date with the Pack.
"Last season our new players really stepped into conference play with a lot of success,"Olsen said. "Nandita Chandrasekar, Barbara Orlay and Agustina Arechavaleta all had successful seasons and finished their first year with winning records. Barbara even finished ranked 99th in the nation. Those girls are looking to come back with a year of experience under their belt and really compete in this tough conference. The senior leadership and veteran experience of our older players really matches well with our newcomers and helps to make the team much deeper and more competitive."
New to the Wolfpack coaching staff is Mait DuBois. As a former assistant coach under Olsen at Charleston Southern, DuBois arrives at NC State after serving a one year stint as an assistant at Virginia.
"Bringing Mait into our staff is really making a difference," Olsen said. "He has a great rapport with the players and a passion for the game that is unmatched. On top of that, he takes the time to help these girls as much as possible and he has them believing that they can compete with anyone."
Opening the school year with a successful showing this past fall, Olsen expects the team to continue to pick up steam and turn some heads in the Atlantic Coast Conference this season.
"This season we really feel like we have a lot of things working in our favor," Olsen said. "We are returning four great senior leaders with Kristin Lam, Danielle Stadelmann, Carmen Torres and Taylor Parker and we can already tell that their leadership is helping out with the rest of the team. On top of that, we only lost two members of the squad from last year, and we replaced them with two student-athletes that we really feel fortunate to have in our program."
One area of the roster that Olsen and DuBois are expecting big things from is the senior group. Danielle Stadelmann (Westerly, R.I.) started the year off with a solid performance in several fall tournaments, including winning the Flight D west and Flight B doubles west rounds with sophomore Agustina Arechavaleta at the William & Mary Invitational.
"Danielle is very athletic and that helps her a lot when she is out on the court," Olsen said. "She has really picked up her game over past the few months."
Carmen Torres (Madrid, Spain) will look to return to the mix after sitting out last spring.
"Carmen has been a very vocal leader," Olsen said. "She totally enhances the personality of this team."
After sitting out the past two spring seasons, Taylor Parker (Marietta, Ga.) will look to end her career with the red and white on a high note. Known for her strong doubles play, Parker has improved significantly since arriving in Raleigh.
"Taylor's strong suit is doubles action," Olsen said. "She is among the best on our team and getting the most out of her teammates."
Kristin Lam (Hilton Head, S.C.) started her final season with the Pack on a high note in the fall, competing in several tournaments, including the ITA All-American Championships.
"Kristin really exemplifies the hard work ethic that is practiced by this team," Olsen said. "She has put a lot of extra hours into practicing over the past four years and that is really starting to show."
In addition to the seniors, the Wolfpack also holds a strong junior trio. Barbara Orlay (Budapest, Hungary) begins the year with a No. 69 preseason ITA ranking. Orlay, a transfer from Charleston Southern and 2003 Big South Freshman and player of the year, saw valuable time in fall competition, including action at the St. Mary's Classic and the ITA All-American Championships. This season Orlay will look to continue her solid performance from last year, which earned her All-ACC honors.
After spending her summer as an intern with Citigroup in New York City, Nandita Chandrasekar (Madras, India) is approaching the season determined to improve upon a successful sophomore year. Last season, Chandrasekar tied Orlay for most conference wins on the team, while finishing the season with a 12-6 overall record.
Virginia Romero (Madrid, Spain) competed in several fall events and worked hard over the summer to improve her game. Coach Olsen plans on utilizing Romero in the spring, especially during doubles action.
Three Pack sophomores will all vie for action during the spring season. Agustina Arechavaleta (Montevideo, Uruguay) began a successful follow up to last season with a strong performance in several fall matches, including winning the Flight C west singles and the Flight B west doubles bracket at the William & Mary Invitational.
Allison and Lauren Barry (Raleigh, N.C.) both appear ready to begin their spring season careers after sitting out last season. The Barry twins committed themselves to hard work and continuous practice during the summer, which they continued in the fall.
After losing two members of last year's' team, the Wolfpack snagged two talented recruits to join the program. Elin Stahl Johansson (Sodertalje, Sweden) began her career at NC State with an incredible fall performance, which included second place finishes at the Landfall/UNC-W Invitational and the St. Mary's Classic.
Freshman Julia Roach (Raleigh, NC) also fought her way through an impressive fall semester. Along with Stahl Johannson, Roach collected the doubles championship at the Landfall/UNC-W Invitational over a duo of conference foes Tory Zawacki and Saras Arasu from Duke University. In addition, Roach also finished third at the St. Mary's Classic in Knoxville, Tenn.
Coaches Olsen and DuBois are holding high expectations for the team this year, and they are confident in their capability to achieve the team's goals.
"Every year we have improved and stepped our game up a notch," Olsen said. "This season we really feel like we are ready to compete and make a name for ourselves. We have been practicing the little things and making sure that we pay attention to all details. We're ready to go to battle with a strong schedule and prove our worth in this conference."
