Boston College Athletics
Women's Tennis Prepares for Spring Matches
January 22, 2001 | Women's Tennis
Jan. 29, 2001
Boston College head coach Nigel Bentley is very optimistic about the prospects for the 2000-2001 women's tennis season.
This year he has two senior captains whom he is looking to make a large contribution in their final season at the Heights.
"Cynthia Tow and Kiren Fernando both qualified for the ITA All-American [tournament] this fall and its just a tribute to them and what they have accomplished in their careers here at Boston College," says Bentley.
The leadership from the captains will be necessary considering the difficult schedule the Eagles will face this year.
"Our strength of schedule is much better as we play one of the best schedules in the country," says Bentley. "We have three important BIG EAST matches beginning the second semester against Syracuse, West Virginia and Miami.
"The captains success in the spring will determine how we do in the dual match season, so we need them to step up and be leaders on and of the court. If they can set the tone with some wins, I think it will carry on down the line to the younger and more inexperienced players."
Bentley is asking a lot of his captains, but he feels they can make a huge difference in this year's campaign.
Individually the Eagles are well prepared to go into competition and hopefully succeed in their team goal of being one of six teams that qualify for the BIG EAST Championship.
Tow is coming off of an impressive season and Bentley is anxious for her to continue her winning ways.
"The strength for Cindy is her mental toughness, even in tight situations, she remains extremely focused and is able to perform well under pressure," says Bentley.
Fernando has also earned her fair share of victories for the Eagles and hopes to remain in top form during her senior season.
"Kiren's strong points are experience and she is a very solid player," says Bentley. "There are no real weaknesses in her game and she just does everything well. She is just an all-around solid player particularly from the backcourt. She really builds the points nicely."
The third senior on the team is Angela Niznik, who will also look to add the the success of the Eagles.
"Angela continues to work hard and she just looks for the opportunity," says Bentley. "From a coaches standpoint its nice to have her because she is so enthusiastic and eager to play."
The lone junior this year is Ruta Veitas, whom Bentley says "is a leader, and she works hard. She's probably the hardest working player on the team. She has a lot of talent and we are trying to put in a system where she plays more high percentage shots, and I think its really paying off because she's playing good tennis right now."
Bentley has a trio of sophomores at his disposal, including Kiren's younger sister Anisha Fernando.
"Anisha has had some bad luck with injuries, and she will hopefully come in to provide a spark for us this year," says Bentley.
Also, classmate Jessica Engel returns to action this year along with walk-on Brooke Molenhauer.
"Jessica really has all kinds of energy and she's just a fun player to coach" says Bentley. "Brooke brings a great work ethic and she is very enthusiastic."
The sole freshman on this year's team this is Allison Ashley and Bentley is happy to have her as a new addition.
"Alison is extremely talented," says Bentley. "She hits the ball very hard and the big thing is to get her in match condition. She's got all kinds of potential. She is just making the transition to being in college and playing for a college team."
On the bench this year, Bentley is joined by assistant Katie McNamara who is the most illustrious name in Boston College women's tennis history. Together their goals for the season are to improve and make this team, "the hardest working team in the BIG EAST."
"My goals are to install a more disciplined work ethic in practice and have the players improve," says Bentley. "I want them to play the best tennis they are capable of, and if everybody plays as well as they can, we can be successful as a unit."
Nonetheless, Bentley cautions that victories will not come easy and that the competition is difficult.
"We really need to close out some of the close matches that we have dropped in the past," says Bentley. "We do have some talent here and the players have got to take responsibility for their own physical, mental, and emotional phases of the game in order to commit themselves to improving."
