Wittenberg Women's Tennis Breaks Into Regional Rankings

Leah Ann Miller

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — After splitting a pair of matches and a solid showing at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Central Region Tournament during the brief 2011 fall season, the Wittenberg women's tennis team made enough of an impression upon voters in the NCAA Division III Central Region poll to crack the top 25, checking in at No. 23.

The Central Region includes some of the best programs in the nation, including perennial national title contenders Washington University, Gustavus Adolphus, University of Chicago and Kalamazoo and a host of North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) squads. Wittenberg was one of six NCAC members to earn a spot in the final fall rankings, joining No. 2 Denison, No. 5 DePauw, No. 12 Kenyon, No. 19 Oberlin and No. 20 Allegheny.

The Tigers set a school record in 2010-11 with a 19-6 overall record while placing fifth in the NCAC. Wittenberg has never qualified for the NCAA Division III Tournament, but the Tigers have shown continued improvement recently, posting winning records eight of the last nine years and 15 or more wins in two of the last three campaigns.

Wittenberg is led in 2011-12 by Leah Ann Miller, class of 2014 from Springfield, Ohio, who is off to a 2-0 start at No. 1 singles (3-1 overall) after earning NCAC Newcomer of the Year honors a year ago. She teams with Anne Beauch, class of 2012 from North Canton, Ohio, to form a strong No. 1 doubles team. They are 2-0 in match play and 3-1 overall through the fall season.

The Tigers kick off the second half of the 2011-12 season with matches against NCAA Division I teams from Valparaiso and Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne on Friday, Feb. 3, and Saturday, Feb. 4, respectively. After a match against NAIA scholarship program Northwestern Ohio on Feb. 18, the Tigers will play six matches during their annual Spring Break trip to Hilton Head, SC, March 5-9.

Written By: Ryan Maurer
Photo By: Erin Pence

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