Threesome leads Kat tennis to successful fall
11/19/2009 12:00:00 PM | Women's Tennis
There are three players who have made a significant impact on the fall season.
Junior Cally Woerner, sophomore Giorgia Pozzan and freshman Federica Denti are powerful players that have brought a great deal of potential to the team. The "Italian Stallions," Pozzan and Denti teamed up at the Stephan F. Austin Fall Invitational and won the No.1 women's doubles championship. Pozzan reached the singles semifinals and Denti advanced to the finals in singles. Pozzan won in the consolation draw at No. 2 singles over SMU.
"From a doubles standpoint, these players are exceptional," Giachino said. "They are an NCAA national tournament caliber team. Our returner Giorgia probably has a better shot than most of the women playing on the pro circuit. She has extraordinary talent. Once she gets her technique firmly set in her head, it will be very hard for anyone in the country to beat her.
"Cally is a transfer who is going to be a very strong Division I player over the next two years. She has battled through illness which has caused her to lose a lot of training, but even so she has done a great job, especially when she got to the finals of the Houston tournament. While other people might make excuses about their setbacks, Cally is out there winning," he said.
While Pozzan and Woerner have made a powerful impact on the team, Denti is perhaps one of the most impressive players in the program. She ranked in the top 500 juniors in the ITF World rankings and she was the winner of two national singles tournaments in Italy last year and one major doubles title on the ITF junior circuit.
"Federica is an around the world junior winner," said assistant coach Peta Taylor. "She is a phenomenal player, and when she is faced with a challenge she never backs down. She is competitive on and off the court. I think she will go far in this program and set the standards."
Another strong asset to the team is Taylor, the graduate assistant coach. This is her first semester as a coach after producing the all-time record for career doubles victories at Sam Houston and ranking No. 2 in all-time singles victories for the Bearkats during her four years as a player.
"Peta was a phenomenal player and just as important as her playing ability is her passion for the game," Giachino said. "She is helping the program grow and having her here makes the program better."
A full team will join the Bearkats in January for the spring season. Giachino's goal is to see how quickly they can hit the ground running.
"Each of the teams in the Southland Conference is going to have a stronger squad this spring, making the league race one of the most competitive in years," Giachino said. "There are three teams who have a shot, and I believe that we are one of them. We have to be ready for every conference match in order to win the season. As with any sport, the team with the greatest depth is the team with the greatest success."
The Kats will open the season on Jan. 30 against Texas-Pan American. It will be the first home match of the year.
Admission to Sam Houston State tennis matches at the McAdams Tennis Center is free. To purchase tickets to other Bearkat sporting events go on-line at www.gobearkats.com or contact the Sam Houston Athletic Ticket Office located in the Ron Mafrige Field House at Bowers Stadium. Ticket office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The ticket office telephone is (936) 294-1729.
