"At the Net" With Elizabeth Verow
11/14/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. - The Seton Hall tennis team heads into winter training sessions on the heels of one of the strongest fall season efforts in program history.
The team opened the season at the Quinnipiac Invitational and quickly set the tone for the new year. Junior Karina Cordero (Maracay Estado Aragua, Venezuela) was the star of the tournament, defeating a pair of Bobcats on their home court to capture the C flight singles title. Cordero then teamed with senior Courtney Kilarski (Roseville, Calif.) to defeat Quinnipiac's team of Cantor/Launie 8-5 in the finals of the B flight doubles draw, further asserting SHU's dominance on the weekend. The win was the first-ever for a Seton Hall doubles pair at the tournament.
Freshmen Maria Del Rosario Rodriguez (Bogotá, Columbia) and Anna Guryanova (Moscow, Russia) also quickly made waves in their collegiate debuts at the QU Invitational. The two newcomers bypassed all competition in D flight singles play and met in the final match. Rodriguez defeated her doubles partner and took home the first title of her career.
Senior Elizabeth Verow (Barnt Green, England) also had a strong showing, advancing to the semifinals of B flight singles play.
Next at the Eastern Intercollegiate Invitational, the Pirates continued their hot start. Rodriguez and Guryanova defeated Evans/Parbhu of Pittsburgh 9-7 in the finals of B flight singles play to become the second SHU team to capture the program's first doubles title at a tournament in as many weeks.
The duo of Cordero/Kilarski returned to the court and put together three straight victories to win the A flight doubles consolation bracket. Sophomore Pui Wing Sher (Shui Wai, Hong Kong) also captured a consolation title on the weekend, putting her own string of three consecutive wins together to top the HONOR bracket.
Freshman Madison Shoemaker (Halfmoon Bay, British Columbia) continued to open eyes with her play when the team traveled to the USTA Invitational at the National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y. On day one, Shoemaker was edged narrowly by H flight singles #1 seed Franziska Sprinkmeyer of Northern Texas. Shoemaker responded by dropping only two games in straight set disposals of her two opponents the following day.
Following a narrow 3-4 defeat at the hands of Fairleigh Dickinson in which three Pirates registered individual victories, SHU concluded its fall slate by sending five entries to the ITA Regional Tournament. Verow recorded a win in her first match of the qualifying round after having previously been listed as an alternate for the field. The sophomore tandem of Rocio Portela (Demetrio Vega Baja, Puerto Rico) and Sher also recorded a win in qualifying doubles play. The next day, Sher advanced to the second round of the singles main draw before being ousted and concluding the fall season.
During the winter, you can keep up with the tennis team by following "At the Net," a series of interviews with players and head coach Greg Wyzykowski. Senior captain Elizabeth Verow is the subject of the first installment of the year.
Q: Coming from England, what factored into your decision to attend Seton Hall?
Verow: I had a number of friends and coaches attend American Universities on a tennis scholarship I always hoped I would get the opportunity to do the same. When I came to Seton Hall on my recruiting trip I instantly fell in love with the campus and college atmosphere. As well as liking the tennis team and program I was attracted to the University's excellent business school and close proximity to New York City.
Q: How has the program changed since you arrived on campus as a freshman?
Verow: There is a big difference between now and when I was a freshman. As a team, I feel we are more cohesive and I think that has translated into better results. The atmosphere around the team is more positive than it had been in the past and we all want to compete and see each other succeed as well.
Q: How do you define your role as team captain?
Verow: We have a very balanced team in the sense that we have a few seniors and juniors to go along with the underclassmen. I think my role as captain is to be approachable in case my teammates need anything and to set an example both on and off the court that can be passed down and help this program continue to improve even after we graduate.
Q: What does your winter training regimen include?
Verow: We work on all aspects of our game from tennis work to conditioning. The winter includes a lot of skill work and match practice for us to stay sharp on the court. We also do a lot of running and agility work and we've even included swimming sessions.
Q: Tennis is not often thought of as a spectator sport. Looking to the spring, what kind of impact can a strong home crowd have on the team?
Verow: I think the stereotype is that a tennis crowd is very polite, but it's actually quite different. On big points, the crowd's reaction can definitely have an impact and give you that little energy boost. We also do our best to support our teammates during their matches. I think it would be great if we had a good crowd at home matches because they would get to see what we are all about and we would definitely benefit from the support.
