Corsair Women's Tennis

2002 Review

Four victories in their final six matches help Corsairs put together an 8-8 season in 2002

(Dartmouth, MA) – With four victories in their final six matches of the 2002 season, the UMass Dartmouth women’s tennis team finished with an 8-8 overall record. Coach Ralph Perry’s Corsairs finished with a 2-3 record in the Little East Conference and placed fourth at the annual LEC Championships.

With a combined record of 46-50 in singles matches, UMass Dartmouth’s top singles player was junior Erin Peters (Charlton, MA), who finished with a team-high eight wins against six losses. In addition to her team-leading victory total, Peters was one of two Corsairs who reached the finals of their singles event at the LEC championships. Peters was a 6-1, 6-1 loser in the #4 singles championship match.

Two players tied for second in team wins with seven each. Senior co-captains Coryne Preston (North Attleboro, MA) and Melissa Walsh (Watertown, MA) finished with identical 7-6 won loss records. Preston also earned an LEC Player of Week honor on September 8 after leading the Corsairs to a 7-2 season-opening victory over Eastern Nazarene College. Preston was a straight set 6-1, 6-3 winner at #2 singles against ENC.

First-year player Sarah Charwick (Palmer, MA) was tied with three other players with four victories during the 2002 season. Charwick finished at 4-4 overall and advanced to the #6 singles finals in the LEC Tournament before losing in three sets, 6-1, 2-6, 7-5. First-year player Hannah Chavez (Billerica, MA) was 4-11 overall and Heather Mortimer (Haverhill, MA), another first-year player for the Corsairs, was 4-10 in singles competition.

In doubles play, the Corsairs posted a 19-23 record as a team. The top doubles team for UMass Dartmouth was the combination of Chavez and Preston, which captured a team-high five doubles victories against nine losses. Charwick and Mortimer were second in doubles wins with a 4-4 record. Mortimer and senior Laura Normandy (Orleans, MA) were 2-2 and Peters and Walsh were also 2-2.

After dropping a 9-0 loss to Johnson and Wales on October 1, the Corsiars put together their best stretch of tennis for the season, Starting with a 9-0 win over Pine Manor College on Oct. 3, UMass Dartmouth won four of its last six matches. Following the win over Pine Manor, the Corsiars defeated Newbury College, 8-1, and Worcester State College, 7-2. In the final match of the season, the Corsairs breezed past Bridgewater State College, 7-2, to reach the .500 mark for the first time since the end of September.