Latest National Rankings Released

The SCAD Bees are ranked #12 in the latest NAIA national rankings, which means there is still a slight chance we won't be going to nationals this year. To be honest, it's been a pretty tough season for the women's team and the ranking reflects that. Nevertheless, we're keeping our heads up and working hard just the same--at least for the sake of our one senior, Romina. It would be a shame for her not to go to nationals in her last year.



On a happier note, practice continued this week at Forsyth Park. Only one day of bad weather (though it was unseasonable humid) and an otherwise positive week of practice. Can't say I recognized any familiar faces on the sidelines, but thats ok, I won't take it personally.

--In the interest of athletic diversity (and mostly because there isn't a whole lot to say about SCAD tennis this week), I'd like to congratulate Dominica Jordan of SCAD Women's Softball. She was just named to the ESPN The Magazine All District III College Softball First Team. To be nominated, a student-athlete must be at least a sophomore with a 3.30 cumulative grade point average and must be a starter or a significant reserve on her team. Jordan is a film and television major with a cumulative grade point average of 3.56 and a .296 (40-of-135) batting average.

Congratulations Dominica, but you're starting to make us look bad-- stop being so perfect.

Spotlight on: Yusuke Kasuda

This week's spotlight is on SCAD freshman Yusuke Kasuda from Chikushino, Japan. (whew, that's a mouth-full) Sadly, injuries have kept Yusuke sidelined for much of his first season on the team, but that hasn't stopped him from fully demonstrating just how valuable he'll be come Fall quarter 2010.

An advertising major and a dedicated student both on and off the court, Yusuke (pronounced Yoo-skay) attended high school in Southern California where he spent countless hours training for his future career as a SCAD Bee.

Before succumbing to an unfortunate injury to his right hand, Yusuke logged wins at the number 3 singles and number 2 doubles positions against Oklahoma Baptist University on March 15th. Like a true champion, Yusuke played through the pain and tallied wins against Northwood University, St. Thomas, and Shorter College.

Thankfully, his injury hasn't kept him out of the gym. With any luck, those muscles will come in handy next season when the men's team competes for another chance at the National Championships.

Good luck, Yusuke!

SCAD Tennis to Practice at Forsyth Park

Thats right! The SCAD Bees will now be holding practice from 11-1 on weekdays at the Forsyth tennis courts. If you happen to be in the area, feel free to stop by and say hi--most of us are pretty nice and the rest of us probably won't mind the distraction. Just kidding. I promise we'll be nice.

I wish I could say the same for everone else using the Forsyth courts. I don't want to generalize, but local Savannah tennis players are mean. They are pushy and bossy and mean. They use a timer to make sure you don't exceed the maximum 1 hour time limit, they shoot dirty looks at you when one of your balls accidentally rolls onto their court, and (get ready for this one) they call you names when you refuse to leave your court before your time is up.

Chill out, Savannah-- Its just tennis. Its a sad day when a stressed, sleep-deprived college student needs to tell you to adjust your attitude. Take the hint and please stop yelling at me when I accidentally hit balls onto your court. I didn't mean to. Let's move on.

Thats all for now. Don't forget to come out and say hi!

Deadweight

That's how my legs felt at practice today. Seriously. It was hot out and I'm pretty sure I'm not the only person who was less than enthusiastic at practice today. It was also a little lonely out on the courts today now that the guys have finished their season. But the show must go on. Speaking of which, the countdown to nationals has begun. Only three weeks left before the SCAD Bee's head to Mobile, Alabama. Well, hopefully-- apparently, SCAD isn't a confirmed competitor in the Nationals Draw. At number 11 in the NAIA rankings, we are in "good position" to qualify for nationals, but not 100% qualified. The updated rankings set to come out later next week will determine the fate of our quest to win nationals this year. Sadly, not much else to report this early in the week. So I'll leave you with this truly outstanding representation of me during today's practice. Enjoy.

Player Spotlight: Stephanie Gula

This week's spotlight is on junior SCAD Bee, Stephanie Gula. Stephanie is an architecture major from Warren, Ohio who enjoys playing with her dog, Ben, and tearing up the practice courts with her teammates.


Playing the number 5 singles position for the SCAD Bees, Stephanie has tallied wins against Webber, Southeastern, St. Thomas University, and most recently, against Northwood during the Regional Tournament. At the number 3 doubles position, Stephanie has had to overcome multiple changes in partners but has neverthless proven herself to be a key player in the Bees' doubles lineup.

At only 5'3", what she lacks in physical size she makes up for in sheer fight and determination and rarely has an opposing player displayed more courage and spunk on a tennis court. Stephanie's teammates can always count on her to give her best when the going gets tough.

Stephanie is also an accomplished soccer player and a die-hard Steelers fan. When she's not smacking balls on the court you can usually find her at the Architecture building or catching some rays at the beach.

Regional Wrap-Up

The Sun Conference Regional tournament concluded on Sunday with both the men's and women's teams from Embry-Riddle capturing the Conference Title and a spot at the NAIA National Tournament in Mobile, Alabama. On behalf of the SCAD tennis team, congratulations to them. They certainly deserved the win after a weekend of outstanding play.

Sadly, our men's team did not earn a spot at the National Tournament this year which means their season ends here. For those of you whom didn't get the chance to watch them play this season, don't worry-- they'll be back in the Fall, rested and ready to take on 2011.

With the spring quarter nearly nearing its halfway point, the women's team will begin its preparations for nationals, set to begin on May 18th. That's only a couple short weeks away, but with a little luck and a lot of work, we could easily have a better showing than we just had at Regionals. I know a senior (Romina) who would really like to go out with a bang, and she's off to a great start with her stunning win against Northwood on Saturday.

Ok, so don't tell anyone I told you, but a certain two people on the SCAD tennis team have recently confirmed their relationship on Facebook (cute, right??) Congrats Annie and Andy H.!!

SCAD Bees lose to Northwood 5-3

Judging by the title of this post, you may be expecting another sad report from court-side at the Regional Tournament today. Not so fast. Though the Bee's lost to Northwood earlier this afternoon, we fought our hearts out and likely earned ourselves a slot at the National tournament later this quarter. Down our number 1 player and certainly lacking the same confidence we had going into the season, the Bees struggled on all courts to maintain the upper hand against Northwood.

Trailing 1-2 after the doubles matches were completed, SCAD went into singles competition hoping to give the Northwood Seahawkes the fight of their lives-- and fight we did.
When the last ball was struck, SCAD had won 2 singles matches and one doubles match. Romina Mrochen, former player of the week and current number 1 player for the Bee's had achieved an incredible victory, defeating the current Sun Conference player of the year, Mikaela Seger.



Ok, so we lost. Big deal. We've beaten Northwood before and we'll beat them again-- eventually. In the mean time, take a look at some of the amazing pictures (I took them myself) from today's matches.


Alright fine, I didn't take that one...