Aug. 13, 2008

Garden City, NY - Last year at this time, head coach Ed Canner embarked on his first season at the helm of the Adelphi women's tennis program, guiding them to a 5-2 East Coast Conference (ECC) record. When the rackets were finally put away, Canner's Panthers were 5-6 overall, earned a three seed in the flight tournament, and had a member receive ECC First Team and Rookie of the Year kudos. The goal for the 2008 season is simple; improve upon the base of success that was laid down last year. "Our goal is to finish better than third." Canner stated very matter-of-factly.

The returning athletes will be the key to the Brown and Gold's success this season, bringing back eight out of ten athletes from 2007. Canner is optimistic, "We look better this year than we did last year with just our returning players, not to mention the addition of Carolyn Smith, our number one recruit."

Atop the list of key losses is captain Amanda Aniboli (West Islip, NY), who finished the 2007 season 9-7. Adelphi will also have to deal with the loss of Daniella Sanderson (Valsayn, Trinidad and Tobago) and her strong doubles performances. To the Panthers' favor, spots one and three through six remain intact with a line up of six sophomores and two juniors. "Our returning class is much stronger this year because of their summer training. I'm looking for all of them to compete at a much higher level than ever before," Canner stated.

First team all-conference and 2007 ECC Rookie of the Year, Alda Ribeiro (Del Ray Beach, FL) returns to lead the Panthers at the number one position. "Alda's playing great tennis right now." Canner avowed. "She spent the majority of the spring season injured, but is completely healed and playing stronger than ever. I look for her to do extremely well this season." Last year Ribeiro went 7-1 in singles play and finished second in the ECC Flight Tournament at the one position.

Junior Kristina Radeva (Varna, Bulgaria), who went 6-4 overall last season, will fit well into a top spot in the 2008 campaign. "She is a very strong competitor," Canner added. Look for Megan Margino (Lake Grove, NY) to fight for the open second spot or third position. At 7-4 in doubles play last season, Margino will undoubtedly be a contender. "[Margino] demands a lot of herself and it shows on the court," Canner said

Rounding out the sophomore class will be Nicole Byrnes (Massapequa, NY), Kaitlyn Henn (Bethpage, NY) and Jamie Sussman (Glastonbury, CT). "All of them have put in the work in the off-season that is going to pay off this fall." Canner said about his sophomores.

Junior Tricia Burns (Bristol, CT) has consistently played well in the fourth and fifth positions and should continue to provide leadership to the younger players. "Tricia is extremely hard working and takes on more then she should, but always finds a way to excel," Canner explained.

The Panthers top recruit for the 2008 season is Carolyn Smith (Agua-Dulce, CA), coming to the Brown and Gold from Quartz Hill High School and packing an impressive resume. The freshman finished her high school senior year with a 42-0 season, winning her division, conference and a California state title. "Smith is a very talented player and is going to battle with Alda right away for that number one position. Both will push each other to be better players." Canner commented.

This year's fall schedule will be tough as usual for the Panthers, going up against teams like Concordia, 6-1 in the ECC in 2007, and Queens, the regular season champions at 7-0. "I think we're going to be right in the mix for a conference title this year. We have to play Queens and Concordia, but we have the ability to compete at the same level." Canner stated.

The Panthers will take the court Friday, August 29, when they open up against Chestnut Hill College at Hempstead Lake State Park, Hempstead, New York. First serve by the Brown and Gold is at 4 p.m.