Feb. 21, 2008

Fairfield, CT - The Sacred Heart women's tennis team was picked to finish fourth in the Northeast Conference in a preseason poll of the league's coaches' announced Wednesday. The Pioneer men's team was tabbed fifth in the league.

Sacred Heart has been amongst the final four at each of the past four NEC championship tournaments it has contested under head coach Mike Guastelle. A pair of accomplished sophomores and the addition of two talented freshmen have the potential to catapult the Pioneers to the next step. Second-year players Julianne Kasinow (Wall, NJ) and Ashley Amalfe (Clark, NJ) were both 4-1 in singles play against NEC opponents during their rookie go-arounds. Kasinow, who spent most of her freshman campaign at No. 3 singles, will headline the Pioneers' singles lineup that includes freshmen Darcy Demers (Norton, MA) and Elizabeth Harrington (Westerly, RI). Both players triumphed in singles play during fall matches against Robert Morris and Monmouth. Demers has been seeing time at second singles while Harrington made it through to the fourth flight final at the New England Championships this past fall.

On the men's side, Sacred Heart freshman Kirill Kasyanov (Yonkers, NY) is one player to keep tabs on this spring. The rookie wonder is already 5-1 at No. 1 singles this season for the Pioneers. Kasyanov won NEC Player of the Week honors this past fall after capturing the top flight singles crown at the Quinnipiac Invitational. Also turning in strong fall seasons for the Pioneers were a trio of freshmen in Cole Conrad (Fairfield, CT), Chris Ujkic (Mattituck, NY) and Michael Syer (Oakville, ON).

Fairleigh Dickinson was chosen as the preseason favorite on the men's side while Quinnipiac was number one in the women's poll.

The NEC men's and women's tennis championships are set for April 18-20 at the Mercer County Tennis Center.