Preview (with video): Women's Tennis looks to carry successful momentum into spring schedule
Under the guidance of 11th year head coach Scott Wills, the Polar Bears hope to continue their success in 2011-12 both on the court and in the classroom.
After capturing the first OAC title in school history in 2002, the Polar Bears have become a perennial power in the OAC.
The Polar Bears have been OAC regular season and tournament champion or runner-up in nine of the last 10 years which has included team titles in 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2009 and 2011.
In the classroom, the Polar Bears have been named as an Academic All-American Team by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association for nine of the last 10 years.
In addition to the always difficult OAC schedule, the Polar Bears will face a tough non-conference schedule against a number of Division I, II, NAIA, and nationally ranked Division III programs.
The team is already 7-0 overall following wins last week against Hillsdale (Mich.) and Adrian (Mich.).
During spring break, Ohio Northern will be traveling to Venice, Sarasota, and Tampa, Fla., for team training and competition.
The Polar Bears are aiming for their OAC season to culminate with participation in the OAC Tournament.
The top four teams will compete for the OAC Tournament title at the Linder Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio with the champion receiving an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
The Linder Tennis center is one of the finest tennis facilities in the United States and is annual host to the Western and Southern Open, a US Open Series event.
Wills welcomes ten returning letter winners from the 2010 squad that posted a 21-6 record and won the OAC regular season crown with a 9-0 mark and finished runner-up in the OAC Tournament.
The Polar Bears will look for leadership from co-captains senior Kristin Timperman and sophomore Lauren Rife.
Returning for the Polar Bears are 2010 1st Team All-OAC performers Michelle Tuma and Carly Olmstead which are joined by 2nd team honoree Emily Mueller and Christie Gales, who received honorable mention.
Junior Jenny Provost join sophomores Allison Talbert and Kelsi Wurm to round out the list of returning letter winners from last year's team.
Wills is also looking to freshmen Kristin Cellentani and Brittany Miller to be significant contributors this season.
"We're still a relatively young squad, but we gathered valuable experience last year," Wills said. "If we can leverage last year's experience and combine it with a strong worth ethic and team focus, we can make this a special year for Polar Bear tennis."