By John Baracani
The Lady Apaches ended the 1999 tennis season with a record of 8-5 under first year coach Steve Crick.
"I think we had a real good season, for not knowing what to expect at the beginning," said Crick.
The season closed with a strong third place finish at the Region IV Tournament at Harper College on October 8 and 9.
IVCC compiled a total of 10.5 points, finishing behind Sauk Valley, who had 14 points, and Lake County, who led with 27 points. The tournament consisted of eight teams total.
In singles matches, Amanda Pavy, Abbie Hyson, and Mandi Morse each finished with records of 2-1, with Morse finishing second overall in the tournament in number six singles.
Lindsey Hammers and Missy Poulakos each picked up a win apiece.
In doubles play, Morse and Lana Welch finished second in the tournament in number three doubles.
With one year of coaching now under his belt, Crick believes his team has a great chance to be even more competitive in next season’s regional tournament, especially if he gets his freshmen players to return next fall.
"The winner this year (Lake County) was mostly sophomores," Crick said. "We should be favorites going into next year since our whole team was freshmen.
"I think we will be real strong if everybody plays again. We may have a new group of freshmen, so there could be some real good competition for the positions," he said. "It looks real promising."
Crick said he enjoyed working with his team, that they were pleasant to coach and good to work with.
He now turns his sights on recruiting more potential players for next fall.
"Recruiting is an ongoing thing," he said. "I’m trying to follow the scores of the local teams and keep track of how the seniors are doing. I haven’t made any contacts yet, but I plan to start soon."