As the UNC Wilmington women’s tennis team begins gearing up for the upcoming season, the Seahawks hope to successfully combine their young, skillful players with their experienced upperclassmen and formulate a plan for success. The squad enjoyed success at numerous levels last year with players making first-, second- and third-team All-CAA lists—something that had never happened before in program history.

With this talent already present and the ushering of new players, UNCW hopes to improve on what they accomplished last year and make more history in the process. Coach Jenny Garrity was surprised and pleased by the young players’ skills on her squad last year.

“What was impressive about last year’s team is that we had three freshmen playing in our top four seeds,” she said. “We did not anticipate they’d play that high and that well so soon. The team came together so quickly, and they rode their confidence all season.” The freshmen are maturing into a solid foundation for the future by gaining experience so early in their collegiate careers.

Building off their success last year, the Seahawks are again in the process of introducing new players on the squad. “We have three more freshmen on this year’s squad, so our team is now two-thirds underclassmen,” Garrity said. “We want to continue to get better and lean on the leadership of our two seniors, Christina Lee and Casey Dashiell.”

Lee had a successful season last year, making first-team All-CAA. She looks to be a strong competitor and leader this season. Lee cannot carry the team alone, however, and will need the support of her fellow teammates to help the squad succeed.

The Seahawks recently finished up the UNCW Collegiate Tennis Invitational, along with the men’s squad, and were able to re-engage in live games and get a look at their youthful skill. Along with the three new freshmen getting their first matches and any initial jitters out of the way, upperclassmen also enjoyed success during the tournament with junior Christina Riley capturing the consolation prize in the B Flight singles division.

The team will look to continue to hone its skill this weekend at the Wake Forest Invitational in Winston-Salem in preparation for the spring season. Optimism is high as the Seahawks begin a new year. “We want to win the Colonial Athletic Association title, gain an at-large bid to the NCAAs and finish top 10 in the region,” Garrity said. UNCW will look to prove its coach’s expectations are not just lofty, but attainable.