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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SMS Tennis Team, Ryan Focus on 2001 After LIS Tournament
No. 2 seed Cathy Ryan is not bothered by her upset in the first round of the 2000 League of Independent Schools conference tennis tournament, May 12 in Richmond. Cathy, who finished with a 6-2 record in regular season singles matches this year, won't second-guess herself nor will she get mad that she didn't play that well.
Tappahannock native Cathy Ryan (l.) poses with Australian exchange student Britt Erwin. Ryan, a rising senior, has played No. 1 singles for St. Margaret's for four straight seasons. She is optimistic about her team's chances in 2001.
Since joining the St. Margaret's varsity tennis team as a freshman in the spring of 1998, Cathy, currently a junior, has played No. 1 singles for SMS for three seasons. Cathy, a hard worker, is dedicated to her sport. She has already begun training for next year - running, and practicing serves and ground strokes daily.
"I had to fight to my self-control and struggled with long rallies. You try to hang in there long enough to make something happen. Sometimes you can shake a bad game or two off and fight back. Today, I couldn't", said Ryan of her tournament loss. "Sure we [St. Margaret's] were unhappy that we didn't win [the tournament], but yeah, you learn from it [losing] and move on."
"Her attitude speaks for itself", said St. Margaret's head coach Katie Spiegler. "Cathy knows what she wants. She's a great player with a lot of skill. She's given 100% to the team since she began playing No. 1 singles for us [St. Margaret's], as a 14 year-old kid [in the ninth grade]."
Posting a 6-2 regular season mark in singles competition this spring, Cathy has earned a lot of respect around the league. Her only regular season losses were both against Lauren Dickey of St. Vincent's de Paul. Dickey, who dominated the league this year, was also upset as the top seed in the LIS tournament.
Junior Heeran Kim of Seoul, Korea receives a "pointer" from head coach Katie Spiegler of Tappahannock.
The Scotties' fortunes shifted this season when Australian exchange student Britt Erwin returned to her home two weeks after the season began and senior Jeong Min Kim of Seoul, Korea sprained her ankle practicing. "We knew Britt wouldn't be with us long, but Jeong Min's injury was a total surprise," said Coach Spiegler. With a gaping hole in a lineup that was already sparse, coach Spiegler had no choice but to immediately move young players into big roles, literally overnight. "It was a challenge," recalls Spiegler. "I had to teach two girls how to score a game, so we were left pretty thin. Even so, a 4-4 overall record isn't bad considering that this was a building year."
Next year, Cathy Ryan will have support from returning teammates Kristina Bethea, Heeran Kim, Ann Melchionna, and Danielle Magid, who have gained a lot of experience. With some chemistry and a little luck, the Scotties hope to make a run for the LIS regular season and tournament titles in 2001. "Anything can happen," says Ryan. "No one knows that better than I do."
