Despite falling in the 2012 Southern Conference Tournament quarterfinals, the Elon University women’s tennis team has one of those cliched yet truly bright futures.
They only graduate one senior and return all six regular singles players, including three all-Southern Conference players.
“It’s unfortunate that our season came to an end,” said sophomore Jordan Johnston, who was a first team all-SoCon selection. “We were pretty bummed, but it’s bittersweet because it’s shown that we came pretty far and grown as a team and got really better."
In the tournament, the Phoenix faced Wofford College in the first round April 19 and swept the Terriers 4-0 . The pairs of Johnston-sophomore Frida Jansaker and freshmen Barbora Lazarova-Maria Camara Ruiz won their doubles matches, while sophomore Viviana Stavreva, Lazarova and Camara Ruiz won singles matches to clinch the victory.
But eventual championship game finalist College of Charleston swept the Phoenix 4-0 April 20.
“I do have to give some credit to Charleston, they played really well,” head coach Elizabeth Anderson said. “I think we gave them a good fight and we learned a lot for the match and will position ourselves well for the future."
Johnston and Jansaker were named to the all-SoCon doubles first team, while Jansaker was named to the singles second team and Lazarova was named to the all-freshman team.
Despite all the accolades, and while staying upbeat, Anderson sees a lot of room to grow, especially in the doubles pairs.
“We started out the season really strong with our doubles and we were winning alot of doubles points,” she said. “Then (sophomore) Bryn (Khoury) was injured for a good portion of the year. When we had to switch combinations, we didn’t get a lot of rhythm of that. Then it’s finding what’s worked at that point. There were still learning bubbles. They did get a lot better throughout the season, but we had a little bit of adversity."
Khoury’s injury forced the team, which was filled with mostly underclassmen, to try different pairs. Other than the combinations of Jansaker-Johnston (20-2 for the season) and junior Briana Berne and Camara Ruiz (11-5), nine different doubles pairs took the court for the Phoenix this season, none of which played more than eight matches together.
Anderson looks to time spent during this fall, and what was learned this season, to be extremely helpful next spring.
“I think it will make a really good difference,” she said. “The teams that I’ve seen that do better in doubles are more experienced. That’s part of what hurt us a little bit. I think when we have a little more experience, it will be better.”
The one player not returning for the Phoenix is senior Kaylyn Smialek, who will be graduating in May with a degree in special education. Smialek did not play much - just five singles matches and four doubles matches - but she walked away with a perfect record, being on the winning side of all nine contests.
“Kaylyn has been such a rock for our team, always there mentally, physically, ready to go,” Johnston said. “Even when she wasn’t playing, she was the loudest one. It’s going to be crazy without her next year, kind of like a mentor to us. It’s sad that she has to graduate, because we love having her around.”
Anderson is very excited for the two freshmen incoming for the Phoenix. She signed Taylor Casey, from Duluth, Ga., in the fall and added walk-on Caroline Baker.
“Both of them are good players, understand college tennis really well,” she said. “I think they’ll hit the ground running when they get here. They’re working really hard because they’re coming into a team that hasn’t graduated many players.”
Next spring promises to be an exciting one around Elon, as the 2013 SoCon Tennis Tournament will be hosted by the Phoenix. With that and all the returners, Anderson sees next year as a year of realizing talent.
“They improved a lot throughout the course of the year, they learned a lot, they were tested,” she said. “They learned that they can play even higher. That’s one thing that we need to take going forward is just realizing and knowing those things and continuing to push and expand their skills and their talents. They’re a talented group, they just have to develop a little bit more.”