Corsairs finish third at LEC championships and
7-6 overall in new coach Ralph Perry�s first year

(Dartmouth, MA) - In his first season as head coach of the UMass Dartmouth women's tennis team, Ralph Perry knew he had his work cut out for him. Perry was taking over the Corsairs' women's tennis program from long-time coach Warren Preti and he also needed to fill some holes in the starting lineup from the previous season.

With three former Little East Conference champions returning to the lineup, Perry and the Corsairs put together a 7-6 overall record, including a third-place finish in the Little East Conference championships.

Leading the way for UMass Dartmouth was senior captain Mary Bourque (Rochester, MA), who capped her four-year career with the Corsairs by posting a 9-3 record in singles and a 6-4 record in doubles competition. The Corsairs' senior captain finished with an 8-0 record in Little East Conference competition during the season.

For Bourque, the 1999 season was the culmination of an outstanding individual career. A member of three Little East Conference champions at UMass Dartmouth, Bourque won a total of six out of eight LEC championships and was runner-up in the two LEC titles she didn�t win. During her freshman year in 1996, she was the LEC champion at 3rd doubles and 4th singles, moving up to a 1st doubles title as a sophomore, while finishing second at 1st singles. During her junior season, Bourque captured both the 1st doubles and 2nd singles championships. This past season, Bourque was the LEC 1st singles champion, taking the title with an easy 6-1, 6-0 victory. She was also part of the runner-up team at 1st doubles.

Sophomore Dana Feinstein (Franklin, MA) moved up in the starting lineup to post an 8-5 record in singles and a 4-3 mark in doubles. Among the other top singles players for the 1999 season were two talented first-year players Coryne Preston (No. Attleboro, MA) (6-6) and Melissa Walsh (Watertown, MA) (6-4). UMass Dartmouth�s top doubles combinations were Feinstein-Walsh (3-0), along with the teams of Bourque and sophomore Sarah Clapp (Norfolk, MA) and senior co-captain Christine Mace (Abington, MA)-Preston, who were both 4-2. Overall, the Corsairs were 39-39 in singles and 21-14 in doubles.

The Corsairs' third place finish at the 1999 LEC championships snapped a three-year run as conference titleholders. Rhode Island College finished first with 21 points followed by Southern Maine in second with 19 points as the Corsairs had to settle for third (13 points).
Bourque was UMass Dartmouth�s only LEC champion in the tournament. The Corsairs had two runners-up, including Walsh in 6th single and the team of Bourque and Clapp in 1st doubles.

Heading into next season, Perry's biggest task will be to replace his two senior co-captains in the UMass Dartmouth starting lineup. The Corsairs of Fall 2000 will have one junior, five sophomores and three freshman returning to a team which could be positioned to return to prominence in the Little East Conference