The Bellevue College women’s tennis team lead by 14th year Head Coach Jason Chapman and assistant coach Yuri Kida have high expectations as they begin their hopeful journey for their eighth consecutive NWAACC Championship. With a strong core of returners and a sound mix of newcomers, coach Chapman said, “Our goal is to win the conference every year, anything short of that would be upsetting.”
Coach Chapman has reason to feel confident with this year’s team as he returns several of his top players from last year’s squad. Division 1 prospects Anissa Bryant-Swift and Martha Santos are expected to solidify the #1 and #2 spots. Also returning is Jazi Ahyat who will be holding down the #3 spot as she did a season ago, and Amber Portka will be looked to for key contributions as she is expected to play in the #4 spot, improved from the #6 spot a year ago.
Though the top of the rotation is strong, the team is still conducting “challenge matches” for the final spots. Bellevue welcomes newcomers Julie Le (Cleveland High School), Elynn Wu (Taiwan), and Karanpreet Kaur (Lindbergh High School) who will be competing for the final positions. Chapman hopes that sophomore Nicole Smith who saw action as a freshman during 2010, will compete for a position when she gets back to full health after being sidelined from an injury over the past year.
The team opens the season at the NWAACC Individual Championships Tournament in Stanwood the weekend of March 10-11. Following the tournament, Chapman has scheduled several matches with “any four-year schools that will play us” to face top-notch competition as well as expose his players to four-year schools. Scheduled matches include Willamette University, Lewis and Clark College, Lewis-Clark State, College of Idaho, and University of Puget Sound. The Bulldogs open up NWAACC season play on March 29, traveling travel to Spokane CC.
According to Coach Chapman, the keys to earning an eighth NWAACC title will consist of his top-players performing to their potential, getting contributions from the lower end of the lineup, and getting his newcomers adjusted to the program. Accomplishment of these feats could end in another championship season for the 2012 Bulldogs.
Last Updated January 23, 2014
