HARTSVILLE, S.C. – After a breakthrough 2015 season where they picked up a program-high 10 wins and made an appearance in the South Atlantic Conference tournament, the Coker College women's tennis team is ready to make another historic run this season. With the beginning of the 2016 campaign under two weeks away, head coach Bill Simpson firmly believes this team has the talent to make this season special.
"After having such a great season last year our goals have stayed the same, we expect to go out and win a conference title," said Simpson. "I think the difference is these ladies have a year more experience under their belts and they have the belief that they can go out and accomplish something great."
The Cobras were picked sixth in the South Atlantic Conference preseason poll, with Wingate coming in at the top spot with nine first-place votes.
"The conference is tough from top to bottom, you have to show up every match, positions one through six," said Simpson. "We want to go out and show that we are better than the sixth-best team in the conference which is where we finished last year."
Three seniors, one junior and three sophomores make up a veteran 2015-16 roster littered of returners.
"We are so much stronger compared to last year, even with the same roster returning," said Simpson. "We spent a lot of the fall working on getting faster, stronger and hitting thousands of more balls. You can only compare the two teams by name, not by ability and this team is such a strong unit."
The Palmer twins; Bailey and Ragan headline the roster for the Navy and Gold. Bailey earned All-SAC honors last season at singles and doubles, after posting a 12-7 record at singles and 11-10 record at doubles. Ragan, who also earned All-SAC play at doubles last season, posted a 10-9 record at singles and 11-10 record at doubles.
Bailey was named to the preseason All-SAC first team for her singles play, while Ragan earned All-SAC second team honors for her singles play. As a tandem, they were voted to the All-SAC second team for their doubles play.
"They have the experience and knowledge to really lead our team," Simpson stated. "They had great seasons last year and I think they can make some noise once again in the conference.
Jessi Campos, Sarah Elliott, Jenna Gainey, Jennifer Mezei and Suzanna Mickey round out the Cobras roster. Collectively, the group of returners earned 50 overall wins last season at singles, with 29 of those coming in conference action. They also earned 24 doubles victories, with 15 of those coming in conference as well.
"At this level, we need one through six to step up and play well, it's not a one or two person show," said Simpson. "I am really looking forward to seeing Jenny (Mezei) and how she plays after playing No. 1 last season as a freshman. But as a whole, they all need to play well for us to be successful."
The Coker lineup will be tested right out of the gate with a seven-match non-conference schedule that features matchups against two ITA top-50 teams in Georgia College (No. 13) and Augusta (No. 36).
The early test may be necessary as a daunting 11-match SAC schedule awaits, with matches against nationally ranked Wingate (No. 35), Queens (No. 41), Tusculum (No. 46), Anderson (No. 48) and Newberry who is ranked No. 10 in the ITA's southeast regional poll.
"We schedule tough to give our players an opportunity to earn the national recognition they deserve," said Simpson. "We need to be prepared for these tough conference matches. But we are ready for the challenge, these girls are ready to be great and I truly believe that."
The Cobras kick off their season on Saturday (Jan. 30) when they travel to Erskine College. They will take on Lander in the home opener on Sunday (Jan. 31).