Completed Event: Women's Tennis versus California on May 1, 2026 , Loss , 1, to, 4
Final Score
Women's Tennis
1
vs California
4
The University of Utah Athletics
Utah Coach Knows Adversity
2/16/2001 12:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Feb. 16, 2001
Many great coaches say a team's success stems from handling adversity. After making a habit of going to the NCAA tournament and assembling teams poised to make a run at the top-25, Head Coach John Tsumas has learned adversity all too well. The University of Utah women's tennis team missed the NCAAs for the second straight year after a string of three consecutive appearances, going 8-12 in the 2000 campaign. The decline can be attributed mainly to injuries. During the fall of last season the Utes lost junior Heidi Thomas for the season, with a plantar foot injury, and the injury bug became contagious. Sophomore Hillaree Hawkins, after playing the season opening tournament as a freshman, never recovered from career-ending femur stress fractures. Utah played the dual season with - at the most - three players healthy on a consistent basis. There are two questions Utah must answer to regain its status among the elite in the Mountain West Conference and the west region. Can the Utes stay healthy? And, how do you fill the shoes of an All-American and the heart and soul of your team?
"We've had to work through some tough times with all the injuries the last two years," says Tsumas. "The maturity of the players has grown a lot as a result of the injuries. For not having Hillaree and Heidi, two scholarship players, the team did extremely well. We never had any big national wins, but had some teams on the ropes."
Utah will be expected to take the courts without its captain and inspirational leader for the last four years. All-American Megan Dorny will be on the Utes' sideline, rather than inside the white lines. Dorny, who finished last season ranked No. 55, will keep her presence felt as a volunteer assistant coach. On the sidelines with her will be a 23-12 record from her senior year and wins over six top-100 players, including one over No. 2 seeded Janet Walker in the NCAA tournament.
"Megan left a good mark on some players. She left a good attitude on the program," says Tsumas. "She showed pride in the program. Even though the team struggled she continued to compete and win."
Utah hopes to build its resurgence around a good nucleus of young players, with Thomas being the lone senior. Sophomore Cassie Kasteler and junior Irini Kotoglou will serve as the team captains. They along with junior Linn Ronnberg could vie for the top spots in the singles lineup. Sophomore Frida Kareld and junior Brooke Wilkinson should also make an impact in the lineup. Junior Emily LaFollette rejoins the team for her second season, after spending her freshman year at Utah State where she set the school record for wins in a season. Utah is continuing its European pipeline with two more international players joining the squad in January. Freshmen Sheri Esrock and Jennie Esaiasson bring top junior and women's rankings from South Africa and Sweden. They were ranked No. 3 and No. 8 in girl's 18s, respectively. Utah will also rely on schedule strength to help resurrect the proud tradition. The Utes play 12 top-70 schools, which includes six top-56 teams coming to the Eccles Tennis Center. Ranked No. 15 Northwestern, No. 30 Washington, No. 27 San Diego State, No. 37 Fresno State and No. 56 Purdue highlight the 2001 schedule.
Kasteler, as a team co-captain, will try to play her way back to the top of the lineup. She played predominantly at the No. 2 position behind Dorny last year. As a freshman she sported a 10-13 record coming to Utah in January, a semester earlier than her designated high school graduation date. Although young in terms of being a collegiate sophomore, Kasteler's competitiveness and court savvy are that of a seasoned veteran.
"Cassie came in and earned her way up to No. 2 last year. She had a great summer in tournaments and qualified for the national junior Federation Cup team as a top five player," states Tsumas.
Kotoglou started last season at the No. 2 spot. She went 6-14 while playing with a shoulder injury throughout most of the year. At the conference tournament she wound up serving underhand to alleviate the pain. She had surgery to repair her rotator cuff at the conclusion of the season. Kotoglou, if healthy, will again challenge for a top three spot.
"Irini lost some close matches early on last year, but showed promise," says Tsumas. "I like her energy. She's a real leader, and proved that playing injured at the conference tournament last year."
Ronnberg returns a 14-12 record and has been playing exceptional this fall. She will carry a burden of playing up in the lineup from No. 5 a year ago and closing out tight matches.
"Linn was consistent in having a chance to win last year. She lost a lot of big points, but her experience in close situations will make her learn what she needs to do to win," states Tsumas.
One of the most consistent players Utah has had in recent years is Thomas. Although she sat out last season, she is the only player on the Ute squad that has tasted the national success. She was a part of the 1998 NCAA qualifier. Thomas may inevitably be the center piece of the team based on her combined 33-31 Utah record and valuable match experience.
As a sophomore, Wilkinson shifted from being a major doubles player her freshman year to having success at the singles ranks. She played in 12 singles matches last year, winning six.
"Brooke is a tremendous impact player at doubles. She had success with both Linn and Cassie," says Tsumas. "We're hoping with the new doubles format (doubles could be played before singles this season) she will be a real leader for us."
Kareld had a glossy 5-0 record at No. 4 in her debut season, and went 12-11 overall. Tsumas is looking for her to continue success she had in her first year and at the international level previously.
LaFollette had a winning record at Utah State University prior to transferring to Utah. She had the best record on the team at No. 5.
Tsumas hopes Esrock and Esaiasson will compete for positions in the lineup. Esaisson beat former Ute No. 1 singles player Anna Svedenhov this summer. Svedenhov finished her senior year ranked No. 77.
"The tradition of the program is that we're going to play nationally ranked teams. We're going to get after them. We're going to get some good wins each year, and try to make the NCAAs. We want to rebuild what we had three years ago when we beat No. 18 Miami," says Tsumas.
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