CLIFTON PARK, N.Y. – After going a perfect 17-0 last fall en route to the Skyline Conference championship, Mount Saint Mary College has been selected by the head coaches as the unanimous preseason favorite in women's tennis. The Knights received seven first-place votes and 49 points.
Picked second in the preseason poll last year, Mount Saint Mary used a combination of experience and talented youth to capture the Skyline championship and NCAA tournament bid. Freshman standout Gabriela Murphy-Goldberg stepped in at first singles, going 17-3 overall and 7-1 in conference play, earning Skyline Rookie of the Year honors. With Murphy-Goldberg and senior Lindsay Searle returning to the top two spots, head coach Lorraine Brady's Knights will be strong again this season.
St. Joseph's received 38 points, edging Bard for the second spot. The Golden Eagles have been a regular challenger for the conference title in recent years, but head coach Glenn Nathan will have to replace his top two players in the singles lineup with the graduation of Kelly Crawford at first singles and first team All-Skyline selection Danielle Rufrano at second singles. Terri Leonard, who went a combined 8-1 at second and third singles last season, returns after earning All-Skyline Conference second-team honors.
Bard, picked third with 33 points, captured the Skyline title in 2008 and advanced to the championship match last season before falling to Mount Saint Mary. The Raptors also have an experienced roster led by junior Sofia Commito, a two-time All-Skyline first-team selection. Head coach Fred Feldman will use the squad's depth to challenge the top teams in the conference again this season. Bard used 15 different players in dual match singles play last season.
SKYLINE CONFERENCE WOMEN’S TENNIS
2010 PRESEASON COACHES' POLL
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1. Mount Saint Mary (7) 49
2. St. Joseph's 38
3. Bard (1) 33
4. Farmingdale State 28
5. Sage 27
6. Purchase 24
7. Yeshiva 16
8. NYU-Poly 9
(first-place votes in parentheses)