January 26, 2022
The East Central Community College Lady Warrior tennis team is a young group that looks to shake up the MACCC and NJCAA Region 23 with an incredible amount of toughness and vigor on the courts in 2022.
"We lost the core of our team from last season," said ECCC head women's coach Jay Pacelli. "But that said, these women that we have, are here to do some damage and are beginning to develop a strong attitude and are dedicated to our program."
The Lady Warriors' roster is fielded by seven players who all have their own strengths and have been working hard since the fall 2021 season.
"We'd love to have more girls on the roster of course," said Pacelli, "but we have talent and a very motivated group. They will continue to improve throughout the season as well...we are already starting to see game development from late in the fall semester, and I feel we are turning the corner at a great time."
Madison Gregg (Maben) is the lone sophomore on the 2022 roster. She is a strong player that has improved her shot-making ability from last season and looks to end more points with winners this season.
"I'm expecting a lot of leadership out of Madison," said Pacelli. "We were fortunate to get some great matches in during the fall season, so none of our ladies feel like they going into their first match, which is great for such a young team."
Joining Gregg is Abigail Braddock (Morton), a player who has improved tremendously since the fall and has developed into a strong back-court player, Ivey Bruntlett (Raleigh), another great back-court player that can play long rallies, Anna Elmore (Enterprise) a player with great hands at the net that finish off points, Ava Espey (Chunky), a speedy player that has tremendous court coverage, Maud Tsaura (Pretoria, South Africa), a consistent back-court player that shows a lot of perseverance on every point, and Camila Vanegas(Bogota, Colombia), another back-court player that has a lot of range, and an ability to battle it out on long points.
With a lineup that is not incredibly deep, the Lady Warriors will depend on strong singles play from all lines, while working on developing the best doubles teams possible going into the season.
"Doubles is a work in progress for us," said Pacelli. "Our singles play has really come together, and I feel we get closer and closer to our doubles lineup every practice."
Though the roster is not big for the Lady Warriors in 2022, the heart and determination this team has shown, even before the season has started, is. With a group that has developed their skills and already come along since August, anything is possible when these ladies hit the court this season.
"Our program advanced to the semis in the conference tournament last season, and that is what we are gaming for at a minimum this year," said Pacelli.
ECCC opens the season this Friday, January 28 with a home match against Northeast Mississippi Community College at 2 p.m. in Decatur and rounds out the regular season on April 14. Postseason play will take place at the top men's team facility and will feature the top six teams battling for the MACCC/Region 23 title. The top three finishers of that event qualify for the NJCAA National Championship.
To see the complete 2022 ECCC women's tennis schedule, click here.
