Graduation of No. 2 Singles and No. 1 Doubles Bartell Tough On Hoyas

The 2004-05 Georgetown women's team capped a successful regular season campaign with dual match victories against local rivals George Washington, American, George Mason and Howard, all in the same season, for the first time since 1991 The nine dual match victories overall was also a significant improvement over the lowly two posted a year prior.

Leading the way for Georgetown was 2005 McDonough School of Business graduate Liddy Bartell. A two time ITA Academic All American, Bartell proved herself to be a consistent performer in the top of the singles line-up during her four years at the Hilltop. Her departure will require a renewed commitment to excellence by those Hoyas who saw her energy and commitment to Hoya Tennis.

New Energy and Injury Prevention Will Key 2005-06 Successes

Georgetown returns five singles starters and five doubles starters from the 2004-05 squad that won nine of 21 dual matches and finished in eighth place in the BIG EAST Conference standings. With the recent addition of six freshmen, the Hoyas will have the vital personnel and energy reserves to be psyched up and ready for each and every dual match this spring. Georgetown's depth in singles will be as strong as it has ever been. With hard work in the strength and speed fitness areas so they can avoid playing with injury, the Hoyas should be extremely competitive for a postseason berth for the first time since 2000. By taking care of themselves, the Hoyas should take care of their BIG EAST opponents and see their season's hopes of playing at the BIG EAST Conference championship in late April become a reality.

Adriann Gin

Returning starters Stephanie Cohen and Adriann Gin were ready to go as the fall season began. Their comeback win against GW in the Washington-Baltimore Challenge and then going on to win the Doubles Championship at the Hampton Roads Collegiate Invitational only set the stage for their impressive run at the ITA Regional Doubles Championship in late October.

Cohen also had some phenomenal singles success in fall play, reaching the A Flight Singles Final at the DC Metro Championships and advancing to the round of 32 at the ITA Regional Championships.

Together Cohen and Gin will start the spring 2006 season as the Hoyas No. 1 doubles team. With the doubles competition in each dual match held first, their recent competitive success together will certainly help the Hoyas get off to a good start this spring. And their singles successes look to keep them competing against the Hoyas opponent's top players at the No. 1 and No. 2 singles positions.

Freshmen Newman, Olsen and Martin Impressive In Fall Tournament Play

Three freshmen looking to immediately impact the starting singles line-up are Natalie Newman, Courtney Olsen and Taylor Martin. Newman won the DC Metro Championship Flight B Singles Title in September and continued her impressive play at the Hampton Roads Collegiate Invitational. Martin and Olsen have been solid as well in their play at the fall tournaments. As a group, these three Hoyas will most likely be holding down the No. 4, No. 5 and No. 6 positions in the singles ladder.

Eileen Boyle

Senior team captain Kristin Dew and junior Eileen Boyle have tremendous collegiate competitive experience to draw from as they hope to solidify themselves in the starting singles line-up. Dew played at No. 4 singles a year ago and has won Most Improved Player in each of her two seasons with Hoya Tennis, while Boyle's 2004-05 play at No. 6 singles was the crucial element to the Hoya success. Boyle won incredibly important last-match-on-the-court three set testers against Villanova, Connecticut and Longwood to help the Hoyas to three 4-3 victories These two veteran Hoyas are day-in, day-out the absolute hardest workers at practice and their gutsy results reflect their commitment to being better. Hopefully, their dedication and continuing efforts will set a positive example for their very talented teammates to reflect upon and follow through with.

Newcomers Guy, Bakios and O'Loughlin Round Out Line-Up

First year Hoyas Charlotte Guy, Lauren Bakios and Mary O'Loughlin bring a consistent work ethic and very positive energy to the 2005-2006 Georgetown squad. Guy showed exceptional promise in doubles as she and teammate Boyle were finalists at the Hampton Roads Collegiate Invitational. Bakios reached the semifinals in singles at the Hampton Roads Tournament, while O'Loughlin posted four straight singles wins to take the Consolation Championship at the DC Metro Championships. Although it is unlikely that these Hoya rookies will make the starting singles line-up this spring, they are working diligently to become better players. And these new Hoyas will, without doubt, step up and into, in admirable Hoyas fashion, the starting singles line-up if called upon.

Nora Gardner

Two GU tennis players who have had important roles in the Hoyas past successes missed the recent fall 2005 competitions. Liz Winokur, recently recovered from a broken leg, will be back to full strength by the time the calendar turns to spring 2006. When last seen in the Hoya singles line-up in February 2005, Winokur was the Hoyas No. 1 player. Junior Nora Gardner will also return with two full years of starting line-up singles experience. Gardner missed the fall 2005 season as she studied in Florence, Italy through Georgetown's own Villa program. Without conditioning, Winokur and Gardner must recover their high level play in order to help the team sustain the push for a post-season berth.

Goal: The Hoyas First BIG EAST Conference Championship Berth Since 2000

Injury and health issues hurt the Hoyas in their efforts to qualify for the BIG EAST Championship in 2004-05. So among their goals this year, Georgetown will have to be ultra-attentive to training and practice, to minimize injury and avoid missing practice opportunities. The Hoyas need to get stronger and faster, and the strength and speed increases should make for even less susceptibility to injury. In order to compete successfully against the top teams on their schedule, Georgetown will have to play with a serious level of confidence in their overall team fitness. Injury and missed practice opportunities, as much as is humanly possible, have to be minimized so the Hoyas do not have any additional obstacles to surmount beyond the always tough BIG EAST Conference schedule.

Schedule: Not For The Faint Of Heart

Georgetown takes on another challenging dual match schedule this spring. Opening with an appearance at the Virginia Commonwealth Invitational in January, the Hoyas launch into tough competition immediately. In February they face three local rivals - Maryland, GW and George Mason and two BIG EAST opponents. In March, eight matches are scheduled, including four important BIG EAST matches. April sees the Hoyas play eight more dual matches, two against BIG EAST opposition, before setting off southward bound with their hoped-for berth at the BIG EAST Conference Championship. South Florida will again host the Conference Championship on their campus in Tampa, Fla. from April 20 through April 23.