Varsity Club News

Tennis Takes Fifth Place

Under the guidance of first year head coach Dale Campbell, the Saint Mary’s tennis team earned their fourth consecutive 10+ win season.

With eight sophomores and one junior on the 2009 squad, the Belles opened up the season in Orlando, Florida by going 4-4 on the week with wins over National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics squads from St. Francis (Ill.) and Aquinas (Mich.). The resilient young group battled throughout the course of the season by taking at least one point in all but two of their matches all year.

The Belles closed out the regular season and headed into the MIAA Tournament on a roll with wins over Adrian and Olivet. With the two league wins, the Belles entered the conference tournament as the fifth-seeded team to set up a rematch with MIAA foe Albion. Earlier in the season, Saint Mary’s fell in a hard-fought 6-3 decision to the Brits.

Through the first six flights of the first-round match for both teams, the Belles and Brits were sitting at a 3-3 deadlock. Albion, however, emerged with the win to push the Belles into the consolation bracket of the tournament. Saint Mary’s came right back and picked up wins against Adrian and Olivet for the second time within a week to earn fifth place in the tournament.

The 2009 All-MIAA awards were announced after the conclusion of the MIAA Tournament. For the eighth time since joining the MIAA in 1997, the Belles had honorees on both the First and Second Teams. Sophomore Jillian Hurley, who played #1 singles this season, was tabbed as a First Team All-MIAA honoree after earning All-MIAA Second Team honors a year ago. Junior Camille Gebert, meanwhile, was a Second Team All-MIAA selection this season after going 8-0 in conference dual matches this spring and 3-0 in the MIAA Tournament at #2 singles. It was the second All-MIAA honor for the junior as she was named to the First Team last spring.

With the accolades earned by Hurley and Gebert, Saint Mary’s tennis players have been named to an All-MIAA team 25 times since 1997-98.