Season Recap

2012 Season Recap

Heading into the 2012 season, only two members of the Saint Mary's tennis team had collegiate playing experience. Youth, however, was served as the tennis program put together their seventh straight season with at least 10 dual match victories this past spring.

After falling in their season opening match against a regionally-ranked Case Western team, the Belles responded with five consecutive wins. Saint Mary’s kicked off that stretch of wins with an 8-1 MIAA victory over Olivet and took three matches in-a-row by 9-0 decisions. With that span of wins, the Belles would boast better than a .500 winning percentage for the remainder of the season.

The Belles had a pair of nail-biting wins in the 2012 campaign.  The first came on the team's annual spring break trip to Orlando. Against St. Scholastica, Shannon Elliott's singles match determined the outcome of the entire match. After taking the first set, the freshman fell 6-2 in the second set to send the match to a deciding third set. Elliott was able to battle through and claim the Belles' fifth consecutive team win with a 6-4 win of the set.

Later in the season, the Belles hosted cross-town rival Bethel for what proved to be an exciting match. Needing to win three of the last four matches of the day to take the overall match victory, the team delivered. This time, it would be freshman Kayle Sexton who would clinch the win in a three-set contest by 6-4, 5-7, 6-1 scores.

Sophomore Margaret Boden and freshman Jackie Kjolhede had a strong season both as doubles partners as well as at singles play. The two teamed up to win 11 matches at doubles play for the Belles in 2012. Boden won 10 singles matches in her first season competing for the Belles in singles play. Kjolhede led the team in her rookie season with 11 victories in singles play.

Mary Catherine Faller, meanwhile, was recognized at the conclusion of the season by conference coaches as the sophomore was named First Team All-MIAA. She played the 2012 campaign in the number one singles flight and number one doubles. A team co-captain, she won at least one game in each set of her conference contests during the season. It is the first time in her career she has earned MIAA postseason honors. She becomes the ninth player in program history to earn All-MIAA First Team accolades. Moreover, at least one member of the Saint Mary's tennis team has been tabbed as either a First Team or Second Team All-MIAA honoree each year since 1998.