Women's Tennis selected ninth in preseason coaches poll

Andrew Woodley, Sports Information Director

• Complete Release

GREENVILLE, Pa. (Aug. 21) – The Bethany College Women's Tennis team was predicted to finish ninth in the league's annual preseason coaches' poll announced Monday afternoon.

For the third time in the last four seasons, the Grove City College women's tennis program claimed at least a share of the top spot in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) preseason coaches' poll, as voted on by the league's nine head coaches. Thomas More, Westminster, Washington & Jefferson and Saint Vincent rounded out the top-five.

The Bison will start a new era, as first-year Head Coach Brad Jones takes the reigns of the tennis programs. Jones arrived at Bethany after spending the last year as the Tennis Pro at the Westwood Country Club in Vienna, Virginia. He has also previously served as the Director of Tennis at the Darnestown Swim & Tennis Club in Darnestown, Maryland and worked as an assistant tennis coach at the River Falls Swim & Tennis Club in Potomac, Maryland over the past five years.

The Bison will lean on their experience in 2017, as the team features five returners. Senior Alyssa Smydo (Bentleyville, Pa./Bentworth) spent the majority of 2016 playing in the No. 1 singles spot. Smydo's No. 1 doubles partner, classmate Gabrielle Berrios (Hamilton, N.J./Hamilton) also returns to the team this year. Berrios was the primary No. 2 singles player of the squad, as well as one-half of the team's top doubles tandem.

Bethany will open the 2017 season on Wednesday, August 30 when they host Geneva at 4 p.m.