Justine DiFilippo
The Cabrini College women’s tennis team finished fourth place in the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference with a 7-3 record. The team finished overall with an 11-3 record. The season went “very well,” Day said.
Day was “pleasantly surprised” at his team’s success. There was not a lot of depth in the beginning of the season, as it took the team a while to “get their feet wet.” But Day says that he wound up with good players.
Day was not short on compliments for his team this season. Katie Hecht, a senior, can normally be found on the soccer field, but joined the tennis team late in the season. Robin Blanda, a sophomore, ranked third on the team and won the conference on Saturday. Patty Alymer, a freshman, who was profiled in last week’s issue, won “Rookie of the Year” from the coaches in the PAC. Day also mentioned Melissa Ariola, a sophomore, who is ranked first on the team.
Erminia Marino, a freshmen, ranked sixth on the team and had a 10-match winning streak at one point in the season. Heather Tu, a junior, joined the tennis team after playing for the softball team. She was ranked fourth in singles with a 6-5 record.
Many of Day’s players won “Player of the Week” at some point in the season. Among them were Patty Alymer for the week of Oct. 8, and Melissa Arriola for the week of Oct. 15.
Day said that his team was beginning to peak towards the end of the season. As for next season, Day says he “never, ever puts any credence of the past season.” However, he would admit that “the future looks good. But, if you want to know how well we do next season, talk to me in late October.”
Day said that a team is only as focused as its coach. Day complies, “I haven’t been successful, my teams have.”
