Evan Kornacki, LSSULakers.com
SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. -- The Lake Superior State women's tennis team hosts a pair of Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference matches this weekend (Oct. 6 & 7). This weekend they will honor the team's seniors.
On Saturday, they play Grand Valley State, who is currently 3-0. GVSU has had some recent success in the conference, as they have placed top three in the conference for the last four years. Last year, the GVSU Lakers from Allendale, Michigan finished the season as the conference champions and held a record of 23-4 (10-0). They beat Lake State 8-1 last season.
On Sunday, LSSU faces Ferris State, who has a record of 0-1. Ferris finished last season in 7th place with a 7-12 (4-6) record. They beat Lake State last year, 7-2.
As we look back on the seniors' careers, here are their achievements from the past four seasons.
Tara Harvey garnered All-GLIAC and All-Academic Excellence during her junior year as well as obtaining All-Academic award during her sophomore year. During her career, she plays at No.1 and No.2 Singles. Her overall record to this date in doubles is 22-30 including a 3-1 mark this year. In singles, she is currently 1-3 on the season and career record is 20-33. She is originally from Duns, Scotland and is majoring in Athletic Training.
"Tara Harvey is the captain of our team and has been a great leader for us," Head Coach Luke Ogren said. "Throughout her four years, she has always been near the top of the lineup and has played at No.1 doubles at some point every year."
"Her ability at the net and her serve have really helped her to be one of the strongest doubles players in the conference," Ogren adds. "In the classroom, she puts in a lot of time to make sure she does very well as she is planning on graduating with the last athletic training class in 2019."
Jenay Andrews was tied on the team during her sophomore season with the most singles wins (10) and also led the team in doubles with nine wins. She has played a total of 17 matches at the No.1 doubles spot and accumulated a 7-10 record. This season she is 2-2 in doubles and has a 22-28 career doubles record. In singles, she is currently 1-3 and holds a 20-24 record in her career as a Laker. She is originally from Fort Wayne, Indiana and is majoring in Fish Health.
"Jenay Andrews is a person who has really grown a lot in the few years I have known her. She has really started to have a great team first attitude. She is always looking for a way to improve her game as well," Ogren said.
"She is frequently asking questions about what she can do differently to hit a shot better. A part of college tennis that is sometimes overlooked, Jenay has some incredible doubles skills that have been a big factor all 4 years."
Kirsten Malpass is originally from East Jordan, Mich. She is majoring in Business Administration & Marketing. Throughout her career, she has obtained a 1-7 singles record and a 1-1 record in doubles.
"Kirsten Malpass has been a very positive presence in this program. She always gives her best and works very hard to get better every day," Ogren said. "You can really see she loves tennis and her positive, upbeat attitude can always help her teammates. She is also great in the classroom and always someone you can expect to help out any team GPA."
Allison Grandfield earned All-Academic honors her sophomore and junior year. During her sophomore year, she was tied on the team with Andrews for the most singles wins that season with 10. Her best record in a season was 10-6. This season, she is 2-2 in doubles and holds a 19-29 record in her career. In singles, she is 0-2 this season and has an 18-28 career record. She is originally from Haslett, Mich. and is majoring in Education.
"Allison Grandfield is a person I know I can trust to come through, especially in big situations. Her sophomore year against Walsh she was last on court playing 6 singles and came through with a huge comeback win to end our conference losing streak," Ogren said. "She is naturally a great leader of every group, which has been very valuable to the team. I think her natural leadership will help to become a very successful teacher when she graduates."
Both matches this weekend are being played at 10 a.m. in the Arbuckle Student Activity Center. Admission is free to attend. For more information, follow Laker tennis on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.