The Saint Leo Lions Women’s Tennis team is ready to target high goals for this spring season. Those high goals are reasonable after their success in the past semester and the fact that the program is currently ranked third in the Nation for Division II.
“I think we are a really good team and can definitely compete at the very top in the country. We’ve had a great fall, and we’ve practiced very hard, so hopefully all our work will pay off in the spring,” said Natalia Siedliska.
Natalia Siedliska, a Freshman from Freigericht, Germany, is one of the top newcomers for the Women’s Tennis program. She was the first female individual from Saint Leo to win a Regional title and advanced to the National Tournament. There she fought herself into the final where she placed second. Currently Natalia is ranked third in the Nation as an individual.
“Individually, I’ve had a great fall semester ending up in the final of Nationals, so I hope I can improve even more and beat that. As a team, we want to win as much as we can. I think we’re one of the best teams in the country, and I hope we will be able to prove it very soon,” she added.
“We are fit and confident. We also have very good chemistry, which is so important heading into the main season. Our strengths are that we had a very good fall season so the confidence is there. We had success against players and teams that we’ve struggled with in the past. Our weakness is that we’re in the strongest conference in the country so it’s important to not have many slip-ups,” said head coach Chris Frusci.
Already having major successes in the last couple of years head coach Chris Frusci showed his ambitions, recruiting more top athletes to make the team even stronger.
“We have 2 new players this year, both who have made an impact in many areas. Natalia was the first ever regional champion for Saint Leo and finished national runner-up in the fall. She brings the talent at #1 that every good team needs to make it far. And Madeleine has brought a tough, fighting mentality that is important to rub off on others. She is comfortable with adversity and has no problem stepping out of her comfort zone. Because of this she has improved tremendously and will provide immediate impact,” said Coach Frusci.
“I think right now we are having the best team Saint Leo ever had in tennis level speaking. Also we get along very well on and outside of the tennis court, and I believe that is a big plus when competing against the best teams in the nation,” said Isabella Robbiani, a Senior that wants to end her collegiate career on a special note.
The team is working extremely hard in all matters. The training volume has increased and in the early mornings the team is focused on strength and conditioning. The expectations of the team are higher than ever before after good years of recruiting and getting better every year.
“We need to focus on ourselves and what we can control. The chemistry being strong is ultimately what is helping the tennis progress. They all want to work hard together to achieve their potential. I think right now, getting back to nationals is the first goal. We are focusing on preparing for pressure situations,” said Chris Frusci.
With this positive mindset, the physical ability, and the talent that the team has, everything indicates that it is going to be a special season for the Women’s Tennis Team.
