North Carolina State University Athletics
Women's Tennis Ranked No. 12 in Southeast Region
7/6/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
July 6, 2004
RALEIGH, N.C. - The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA), the governing body of college tennis, has released their final rankings for the past season. NC State landed a 12th place finish in the Southeast region, occupying one of six spots held by Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) squads. Coach Hans Olsen leaves no question as to where the credit belongs.
"We are very proud of what this team accomplished this past season," said Coach Olsen. "They picked up their game and made improvements from the previous season because of their determination and hard work. We are doing all that we can to rebuild this program and become a competitor on a national level. I believe that the results of our hard work are starting to pay off and I am confident that we will continue to improve this coming season."
Next season the women's tennis team will return four seniors and all but two members of this past season's squad. Rising seniors Kristin Lam, Taylor Parker, Danielle Stadelmann and Carmen Torres will all play leadership roles for the squad. In addition to the senior leadership, everyone on the team will add something to the mix.
"Everyone on this team is a leader in their own way," Stadelmann said. "Coach Olsen does a lot of team building activities that really work well for us and we all recognize that everyone on the team brings something different to the table to contribute to our success as a team, as well as on individual levels. The way our team is set up, Coach Olsen and Coach Christa are always open to talking to all of us about anything, which really helps because knowing that your coaches are behind you every step of the way does more for an athlete than you can imagine."
Not only will senior leadership double from this past season, the Wolfpack will also return the services of rising junior Barbara Orlay, who was ranked as high as No. 61 by the ITA in singles competition during the past season.
"Barbara gained great confidence with each match she played this past spring," said Coach Olsen. "She really took a step forward last season and gained a lot of confidence. I am certain that she will return very strong and have a great season next year."
One major boost for the upcoming season is the opening of the brand new 30,000 square-foot J.W. Isenhour Complex. Serving as the home of both men and women's tennis programs, the indoor facility includes courtside men and women's locker rooms, brand new offices for assistant and head coaches, and a luxurious players lounge complete with plush couches and large-screen televisions. On-court grandstand seating and diffused lighting will also benefit fans attending tennis matches held on campus.
"We can not say enough about this facility," said coach Olsen. "It shows how committed this university is towards establishing a top tennis program that can compete with the powerhouses of college tennis. We are trying our best to usher in a new era of women's tennis at NC State and we are making a great deal of progress. This incredible facility is only going to help us continue to grow by leaps and bounds."
"We have every thing we need to succeed next season; awesome coaches, a new facility, and hard working athletes," Orlay said. "Now it's all up to us to make what we can out of it."
The Wolfpack will continue to work towards it goal of establishing itself as a national competitor next season. Action is currently slated to being in January.
