This week
Augustana kicks off the 2013 season with a pair of home duals, including their Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference opener. The Vikings match up with cross-town rival University of Sioux Falls on Friday, Feb. 1 at 6 p.m. The following evening, Augustana welcomes Nebraska Wesleyan for a 6:30 p.m. match
Another year, another championship
The Vikings brought home their third consecutive NSIC crown with two swift 5-1 victories in the NSIC tournament. The Vikings finished the regular conference season 10- and have strung together 32 consecutive regular season wins in NSIC action. Three Vikings finished with an undefeated conference singles record with at least eight wins.
Michelle Wadas led the way with a spotless 9-0 mark, while
Hannah Gebauer and Jenna Hellberg each put together 8-0 records in NSIC matches.
Liz Lewis and
Heather Sullivan each only dropped one singles match in NSIC competition.
The Vikings peaked at No. 31 in the national rankings and went wire-to-wire as the No. 1 team in the Central Region. The Vikings fell 4-5 in the opening round of the Central Region tournament to Colorado Mesa and their stellar season came to a close.
Who is coming back?
The Vikings only lose one letterwinner from last year's squad. Kathrynn Jesperson returns 14-3 overall record including the lone win over a nationally ranked opponent to go along with Wadas, Gebauer, Hellberg, Lewis, and Sullivan's near-flawless overall records.
Jessica Spalding put up a 10-3 overall and a 4-0 mark in NSIC action.
Gabrielle Kachena finished with a 14-8 record on the doubles side with a variety of partners. Kachena and Spalding teamed up to register a 7-1 record. Gebauer and Sullivan combined to make a formidable doubles pairing and finished with a 20-2 mark.
New face in the crowd
Freshman
Jessa Richards joins the Vikings as the only newcomer on the roster. Richards hails from Eden Prairie, Minn. and played at Minnetonka High School where she held down the No. 1 singles spot in both her junior and senior campaigns. She was named to the all-conference tea four consecutive years and led her team to the section title five straight years.
Season-opening blowout, part two
Augustana took down Sioux Falls and Nebraska Wesleyan 9-0 to open the season and hope to continue the tradition this year. Kathrynn Jesperson threw up two 6-0 sets in each match to set the tone for the Vikings. Against Sioux Falls, in the 12 sets played, the Cougars only managed to take three or more games in three sets. The Prairie Wolves only managed to one singles set with more than two games won.
Coaches' corner
Marc Kurtz is in his fifth season as the head coach for the Augustana women's tennis program and it has been a fruitful four years prior. After finishing in a tie for fourth in his first season, Kurtz has led his tema to 32 straight NSIC victories and three straight conference titles. During his tenure, Kurtz owns a 73-22 overall dual match, record including a 39-3 conference mark.
Next up
The Vikings will face a pair of NSIC opponents the following week. University of Mary visits Sioux Falls, S.D. on Feb. 9 and Augustana will travel to St. Peter, Minn. for a Sunday showdown with Minnesota State on Feb. 10.
