If there is one team I absolutely cannot forget about in the Season Preview circuit, it would of course be the Emory Lady Eagles. I realize it’s been a long time since I’ve written a preview on the Women’s side and I still have one more to go, and that one really isn’t a preview at this point. It’s tough having two lives. Enough banter, let’s get to the Emory preview.
Coach: Amy Bryant, 16th Season
Location: The ATL, GA
Preseason Ranking: #1
Twitter Handle: @EmoryWTennis
Overview
Say hello to your defending national champions. After enduring many years of looking up at Purple Cows, the Eagles finally took back the National Title reigns with gusto. They really ran through everyone last year and ended up winning in both the semifinals and the finals by a score of 5-1, with obviously no team coming close. When Emory wins, they normally keep the streak going for a few years, as evidenced by their back to back to back to back championships from 2003-2007. I’m hoping for another one this year because I always love a defending champion winning it all again. That simply isn’t appreciated enough in any sport. Anyways, the story this year for Emory is going to be how they replace Gabby Clark, who was probably the best player in team history. They had TWO seniors graduate from last year, Clark and Brenna Kelly, who played #3 doubles. Usually a team would be looking at the next year as a transition year if they lost a player such as Clark, but Emory has the recruits and the depth to be locked and loaded again this season. I’ll get more into it later, but this is obviously a team to watch for the Title at the end of the year. With a strong coach in Amy Bryant, who has seen many a championship, this team should be prepared for any situation this year.
Lineup Analysis
#1 Singles, Beatrice Rosen
Universal Tennis Rating: 9.38
I’m cheating a little bit here because Emory has already played a far share of in region and out of division matches that allow me to make the most accurate lineup predictions possible! Rosen actually played #3 singles last year behind Clark and Satterfield, but has jumped to the top spot. The junior has a lot of potential to grow and she will definitely be tested. Last year, she finished the season ranked in the mid-30s – I actually expect her to be a top 15 player this year. If she reaches the top 10 or even the top 5, that’s just another boost for the defending national champions. I think the more realistic situation is a top 15 finish for Rosen as she gets used to the daily competition of being the #1 player on her team.
#2 Singles, Michelle Satterfield
Universal Tennis Rating: 9.33
Satterfield, who played #2 last year as well, comes into this year as a player also ranked in the mid-30s. Despite the jump by Rosen to go to the #1 spot, that does not mean Satterfield is lacking in the skill department. The sophomore had a great year last year that finished with her having a tough set of matches. She was down a set to Rebecca Ho of Wash U and was in a battle against Sydney Lehman of Hopkins. Good news for her, those were two of the best #2 singles players last year. This year, she’s back at the same spot ready to challenge any newcomers. Satterfield is going to be a key cog in this year’s season.
#3 Singles, Katarina Su
Universal Tennis Rating: 9.43
The sophomore Katarina Su has been on fire as of late and Universal Tennis Rating has awarded her the highest rating on the team. She played #6 last year and I’m pretty sure she barely ever lost. This year, she’s up at the #3 spot and I think it’s well deserved. Emory always relies on a player or two stepping up year over year and taking a spot no one thinks they could have played. Well this year, Su is the girl that’s filling that role. Su already has some strong results this year as she lost in a close heartbreaker against a good D1 school in Charleston Southern, which bodes well for the rest of the year. She will face tough competition when this team plays Williams, etc, but I think Su is up for the challenge. With a good year, Su is going to be one of the main reasons why I think Emory can repeat.
#4 Singles, Melissa Goodman
Universal Tennis Rating: 8.43
There is a big drop in UTR from Su to Goodman, but that does not mean a big drop in strength. Goodman played a quality #4 singles last year, where she took out Hopkins and CMU late in the season, but was down big to Wash U. I don’t expect Goodman to be the best #4 singles, but with her experience and familiarity with the spot, she will be a top 5 player there. I can’t emphasize how much staying in the same spot helps out a player. The competition stays the same, but the player normally takes a few steps forward due to good coaching and practice. Expect Goodman to be better this year, which is scary for the rest of DIII.
#5 Singles, Bridget Harding
Universal Tennis Rating: 8.41
Harding is one of the Emory prized recruits from NY and she currently slots in at #5 singles. This 4 star recruit was consistently in the top 150 on the TRN rankings, and she’s playing #5 singles for this team?! Mark my words, Harding will be a top or at least #2 five singles player this year. The talent is there and she already has a strong win against a DI opponent. With some big matches coming up, the only question is whether she can handle the pressure of a college match. With experienced teammates around her and a coach that has been at Emory for more than a decade, my bet is that she’ll do just fine.
#6 Singles, Julie Fowler
Universal Tennis Rating: 8.40
I’m predicting this spot to be a revolving door all season considering the amount of recruits and depth Emory has. Fowler is also a freshman who has high standing in her recruiting class, as she was a 4 star also ranked in the top 125 like her counterpart Harding. With Anna Fuhr also on the bench right now as well as a few other players such as Madison Gordon and Rebecca Siegler, the competition is there to keep Fowler up and running throughout the season. No matter who plays here, it’s going to be a strength for Emory. This is a team with too much depth for most of DIII.
Doubles
Emory is one of the most well-coached doubles teams top to bottom. They took leads at the end of the year last year against CMU, Wash U, and Hopkins. They also took a lead against Amherst in the championship match. While the departure of Clark really shifts their teams a lot, the depth at #2 and #3 doubles will be tough to overcome for most teams. If you are going to beat Emory in doubles, I think #1 will actually be their weakest spot this year. I’m not going to speculate on the teams because I think they are still a work in progress, but I’d be surprised if anyone but Williams or Hopkins took two doubles matches against them. This is a team that won’t get swept ever.
The Schedule – Key Matches
Emory runs a very tight schedule where they schedule the big hitters and not much else. This year is no different. Next week, they’ll be on their Spring Break trip to Claremont, CA to take on top competition out West. Their two big matches will be against Bowdoin and CMS, both of whom are top 10 teams. Despite their rankings, I just don’t think they have the goods to roll with the Eagles. Both teams struggle with their depth and that’s where Emory happens to be really strong at. I expect Emory to enjoy their Spring Break by taking doubles and the bottom half while stealing some at the top of the lineup. No match should come closer than 6-3 in my opinion. Let’s see what happens.
After spring break, Emory will be participating in one of the best tournaments there is in Women’s DIII Tennis. That would be none other than the “Fab 5” Tournament, which features 5 top teams in the nation. The ones that matter to me are Williams and Emory, because I cannot wait for that powerhouse match. I personally think that this will be a Finals Preview and who doesn’t love a Finals preview?! Either way, these regular season matches don’t matter all THAT much for the Eagles and Ephs because I truly think they are far and away the two best teams in the nation. However, the strategy will be high and I am excited to see both coaches tweak their lineups as they get the feel for the other team. Mark March 28th on your calendar, because there will be some fireworks in Wash Lee. Emory will also be playing Washington & Lee and Depauw that weekend. Wash Lee will hopefully be a top 10 team at that point and the Eagles should be wary of them on their home courts.
The last few matches for the Eagles in the regular season are Senior Day against Sewanee and the UAA tournament. I personally love me some Senior Day and I’m glad the Eagles have one. It’s a nice send off to the players that have given 4 years of play to the team and have supported all throughout. This years seniors are Catharine Harris, Rebecca Siegler, and Danielle Truitt. You may see some of them in the doubles lineup this year as well. In regards to the UAA tournament, the regional is stacked. The UAA has Chicago, CMU, Wash U, and now Case Western, all who are ranked in the top 15 at this time. It’s like a mini Indoor Nationals. It will be exciting, but I expect Emory to have no problem.
D3ASouth’s 3 Keys to Success
- Stay Humble – The key to a back-to-back championship is to stay humble. With a lot of young players on the team, Coach Bryant will continue to preach that hard work is what wins championships and not just talent. There are many talented teams out there that just need to bring their A+ game on a certain day to beat the Eagles in the NCAAs. With the talent base that Emory has, they should be the champions at the end of the year if all goes to plan. Sticking to that plan and staying within your goals is what will get them there.
- Katarina Su – The #6 player from last year and the #3 player this year is one of the keys to the singles lineups. I mentioned it in her little section and I will reiterate it again here. #3 is where Emory starts to take hold of matches and really flex their muscles. If Su can keep it rolling at #3 and show the Eagles’ depth, we could be in store for greatness.
- Doubles – I have some questions about the Eagles doubles right now after the loss of Clark and Kelly from last year. I’m not really too sure what combination would be viable at #1, but they will need to grind it out like many of the #1 teams around the country do. Last year, that team would rely on Clark blowing people off the court with the net player cleaning up. This year, there will be no such strategy. Losing two doubles players from last year’s team will hurt. If Emory are too rely on many young players, it’s important they get leads in doubles. Playing down is something that takes getting used to and I’m not sure if that will rear its ugly head in the postseason.
Well, there you have it! I can’t believe I finished a season preview in March, but that’s how it went down. Emory has their first big matches starting next week and I hope all of you follow their twitter account for updates on the action. The Women’s team at the blog will be providing monthly recaps and analysis as we continue to grow the Women’s footprint on this site, so we will weigh in a little bit as well. Enjoy your weekend, DIII Tennis Fans! ASouth, OUT.