WILKES-BARRE – The Wilkes University women's tennis team is set to start its 2023 spring season on Saturday, February 18 under the direction of second-year head coach Todd Kane.
 
The Colonels went 10-7 last season, and made it to the Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom (MAC Freedom) finals where they fell 1-5 to Stevens Institute of Technology.
 
Kane mentioned that he believes the team will have relatively similar results as last season, and that their juniors and sophomores are ready to step up into the top positions.
 
The team is comprised of three juniors and four sophomores.
 
Junior Cassidy Greenman (Glen Gardner, NJ/Voorhees) was named Second Team All-MAC Freedom as a sophomore in the 2022 season. Last season she went 10-6 overall in singles, 11-7 in doubles, 3-0 in conference singles, and 7-0 in conference doubles. Zoe Klein (Southbury, CT/Pomperaug) is another one of three juniors this season. She went 7-12 overall in singles 10-11 overall in doubles, 3-3 in conference singles, and 5-2 in conference doubles. Kaitlyn O'Neil (Jim Thorpe, PA/Jim Thorpe) completes the class of juniors. Last season, she went 2-3 overall in singles, 7-9 overall in doubles, 0-1 in conference singles, and 2-2 in conference doubles.
 
"I'm expecting a lot from Zoe this year, I think she's going to do a lot of great things and Cassidy has been working really hard on improving little things in her game which will make a big difference."
 
The sophomore class is made up of four Colonels. Tea Amerise (Mountain Top, PA/Holy Redeemer) was named the MAC Freedom Rookie of the Year as well as First Team All-MAC Freedom. She also captured the singles title at the 2021 MAC Individual Championship as a first year. Last season, she was 13-6 overall in singles, 9-11 overall in doubles, 6-1 in conference singles, and 5-2 in conference doubles. Sydney Farmer (Lacey Township, NJ/Lacey Township) is another sophomore for the Colonels. Last season, she captured the No. 7 singles title at the 2021 MAC Individual Championship as a first year. She was 6-2 overall in singles last season, 1-0 overall in doubles, 2-2 in conference singles, and 1-0 in conference doubles. A third sophomore for the Colonels is Sara Hoskins (Larksville, PA/Wyoming Valley West), who is a newcomer. Completing the sophomore class and rounding out the team is Karlee Yuscavage (Hanover Twp., PA/Hanover Area), who is also a newcomer for Wilkes.
 
"I think it'll be a battle for who plays at the top, Tea has been great, she's been a rock."  
 
Wilkes will start the season welcoming Moravian University to TK Academy at 12:00 p.m. for a non-conference match Saturday. The Colonels will face six other non-conference opponents throughout the season.
 
Kane mentioned that the women are in a good position to get wins and possibly upset a few teams. "I think we will surprise people as we get into the MAC," Kane stated. He also noted how the team was picked to finish third in the conference, and when the same was expected of them last year, they were able to get second.
 
The Colonels open up MAC Freedom play on April 1 when they host Stevens Institute of Technology at the Ralston Athletic Complex for a 12:00 p.m. match.