Liljekvist to Serve as Captain in 2015-16
5/28/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
South Orange, N.J. -- Coming off a season in which she became the second Pirate ever to become a two-time All-BIG EAST honoree, head coach Greg Wyzykowski announced that rising senior Hannah Liljekvist (Djursholm, Sweden) has been selected as the captain of the Seton Hall tennis team for the 2015-16 campaign.
Liljekvist excelled in her first season as both the Pirates' top singles player and part of the squad's first doubles tandem in 2014-15; and has now been recognized as an all-conference performer in each of her two years at The Hall after transferring from St. Mary's (CA) prior to her sophomore season.
"Hannah was chosen due to her proven "team first" attitude," said Wyzykowski. "She has experience coming from a nationally-ranked program which will help her guide our young team. Hannah is someone who will ensure that our team does not shy away from doing the difficult things necessary to achieve at a high level. As a leader, she has that strong desire to win that you want to see permeate throughout the entire squad."
For the second consecutive season, the Pirates ended on a high note with a victory at the BIG EAST Tournament; getting past hosts Butler in the consolation round. The lone junior to earn All-BIG EAST accolades, Liljekvist added a first singles victory over Kylie Haviland in the win over the Bulldogs to cap the year and push her two-year win total to 23 as an individual.
Liljekvist is one of three seniors slated to compete for The Hall next season along with 2014-15 wins leader Isabell Klingert (Oberbalbach, Germany) and doubles partner Julia Keenan (Greenland, N.H.). The trio of Katie Kim (Honolulu, Hawaii), Marisa Quevedo (Tyler, Texas) and Luize Strike (Riga, Latvia) will return after gaining extensive experience as freshmen and the team will also welcome newcomers Anna Fajnorová (Bratislava, Slovakia) and Thandiwe Kangwa (Fort Myers, Fla.) to the fold.
Liljekvist has helped elevate the program's level of performance since her arrival, leading the Pirates to 20 dual match wins over the last two years -- including 12 in 2014. The Pirates won 18 matches combined from 2011-13.
"I know the best is yet to come for our team," added the newly-appointed captain. "We have plenty of talent within the team and our goals will be to succeed both on the court and in the classroom. Together, we will work hard and inspire each other to reach those goals."
