LSSU women's tennis to open season with a four-team tournament

SAULT STE. MARIE – Lake Superior State, Hillsdale, Davenport and Roberts Wesleyan will kick off the 2011 women’s tennis season with a three-day tournament at the Norris Center.

The first-of-its-kind event for LSSU begins with the Lakers playing Hillsdale at 9 a.m. Friday. The Lakers and Davenport meet at 6 p.m., and the LSSU-Roberts Wesleyan match is Sunday at 1 p.m. Hillsdale, which is a first-year program, Davenport and Roberts Wesleyan compete against each other throughout the day Friday and Saturday. LSSU will utilize two outdoor courts and four indoor courts in the Student Activity Center.

“Getting teams up here and convincing them it’s a worthwhile trip was the key,” LSSU coach Tom Linhart said. “My dad’s team (Roberts Wesleyan of Rochester, N.Y.) is transitioning from NAIA to NCAA Division II. This gives them two DII matches and an NAIA opponent, which is Davenport.”

Tom Linhart Sr., a retired school teacher and the head men’s tennis coach at Roberts Wesleyan, was an assistant tennis coach when Tom Jr. played prep and collegiate tennis. He previously played and coached Division I baseball.

“I’d been a baseball player until my junior year of high school,” Tom Jr. said. “That’s when I picked up tennis, and that’s when he got into it. He started me playing. He coached me and we’ve coached against each other. But with their switch to Division II, now I’m his source of information. I feel like I’m his (NCAA) compliance officer.”

LSSU’s lone senior is Adrienne DiVito (Washington, Mich.), who will play No. 1 singles this season. She was 6-15 in that position in 2010. The Lakers’ singles lineup also includes freshman Erin Anderson-Scott (Hamilton, New Zealand) at No. 2, sophomore Tess Marton (Toronto, Ont.) at No. 3, sophomore Kaitlynn Hutchinson (Cadillac, Mich.) at No. 4, sophomore Holly Daniel (Zeeland, Mich.) at No. 5 and freshman Meagan Grey at No. 6. LSSU’s roster also includes freshman Teodora Gavric (Windsor, Ont.).

Last season, Hutchinson was 13-6 at No. 6, while Marton was 4-18 at No. 2.

“We’re young, but pretty seasoned,” said Linhart, who has yet to determined his doubles lineup. “The sophomores are focused after a year of competition and finding out that the competition was a lot harder than they thought it was going to be. Adrienne is our captain and No. 1 player. She understands that we’re good, but so is everyone else.”