BOSTON, Mass. - The Simmons College tennis team was picked first in the 2014 Great Northeast Athletic Conference Pre-Season Coaches' Poll. The Sharks have won the GNAC Championship six straight years and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament last year.
Simmons will feature a starting lineup, consisting of veteran players this season and adds some very talented newcomers, who will try to crack a lineup of battle-tested players. The team has strengthened the schedule in 2014 with the goal of not only repeating as conference champs, but also going further into the NCAA Tournament.
Sophomore Theresa Reinhard (Canton, Ohio) saw most of her time at number two singles last year, where she posted a 9-6 mark as part of an 11-7 record in dual match play. She's worked really hard to put herself in position to take over the top spot in the lineup. Consistency is a key to her game as well as her speed and baseline play. Reinhard added 10 wins in doubles action last year to give her a combined total of 21 for the year. She will see action at the top of the doubles lineup as well. Joining her in doubles play will be Rachael Downey (Groveland, Mass.). The junior showed the versatility to play with a number of partners last year and won 11 matches in doubles action at number one, two and three, while going a perfect 6-0 in GNAC play. Despite playing through injuries, the baseliner still 
managed to post a 9-6 dual match mark at fourth and fifth singles and was 5-0 in league play. She has a good volley and one of the best service games on the squad.
Junior Meg Cokely (Haverhill, Mass.) should see action near the top of the lineup in both singles and doubles play for the Sharks. She won a combined 25 matches last year, including an 11-6 mark in singles action, primarily at number three and was ranked 14th in the region in doubles action. Cokely's an offensive player with a good serve, who can play at the net and is very good at adjusting her game to her opponent. Katie Crowley (Reading, Mass.) is one of the best defensive players in the league, who is extremely gifted at returning shots. The junior performed well in the NCAA Tournament last year and will start at singles for Simmons with an eye on contributing within the doubles lineup again. Sophomore Cathy Baker (Simsbury, Conn.) will see action in the starting singles lineup after seeing the bulk of her time at the fifth and sixth spots last year, while posting an 8-5 record. She's a baseliner, who doesn't make mistakes and returns a lot of shots. Baker will also look to see more time in doubles action in 2014. Caroline Khoury (Portsmouth, Ohio) is probably the team's best doubles player and will also look to crack the singles lineup. She's an offensive player, who comes to the net well and has a good volley. Ashley Pierce (Carver, Mass.) put together a combined 3-0 mark in singles and doubles play last year and could see spot starts in both singles and doubles this season. She's very athletic with a consistent game. The sophomore comes to the net well and has a good volley.
Simmons' contingent of newcomers will also be relied upon to made a solid impact.
Sophomore Tatiana Yugay (Westborough, Mass.) is extremely athletic and could see some starting assignments at both singles and doubles play in the lower part of the lineup. A strong doubles player, she is very quick and has good volleys. Han DK Le (Weston, Mass.) is very talented and could see significant action in singles. The first year player features a great serve and a one-handed backhand with good topspin and slice. Mary Matthews (Wakefield, R.I.) is a former high school basketball player, who is really athletic with great reach. The rookie will see time in doubles play and excels at the net, while owning a good volley. First year Lilli Blumkin (San Diego, Calif.) will compete for time at singles action. She is a consistent player off the baseline.