Aimee Plastow, in her first season as coed tennis coach at Pennsylvania College of Technology, has her sights set high.
"I think we're going to be able to do at least as well (as in the recent past), and I'm hoping that we'll be able to do better because we have such a strong team all the way down the lineup," Plastow said. Individually, the coach expects good showings from sophomore Erica Logan (Montoursville), Shane Burridge (sophomore/Ephrata) and Austin Moran (freshman/Mount Joy).
Burridge is expected to be at the No. 1 men's singles position and Moran at No. 2 when the Wildcats open their season at 3 p.m. Wednesday at Penn State Hazleton. Robert Kemrer (sophomore/Milton) will be at No. 3 and either Ryan Bellis (freshman/Pen Argyl) or Craig Milligan (freshman/Andover, N.Y.) at No. 4.
In end-of-the-season Penn State University Athletic Conference tournament play last fall, Kemrer won the No. 4 men's singles title and teamed with Alex Henry, who is not on the team this year, to win the No. 2 men's doubles championship. Overall, the Wildcats finished 8-4 a year ago.
This year's men's doubles teams will come from among the top four singles players and Jim Morris (freshman/Lewisburg), Kyle Canavan (sophomore/Erie), Jon English (senior/Hershey), Matt Fahnestock (junior/Swedesboro, N.J.), Dan Kerstetter (freshman/Milton), Adam Wehler (freshman/St. Marys) and Chris Carrol (senior/Norristown).
"Logan is a terrific athlete and brings her basketball talents to the tennis court," Plastow said of her No. 1 women's singles player. "Erica is a smart, all-court player who should compete well against other women in the league."
The No. 2 women's singles spot is up in the air between Angela Charcas (senior/Williamsport), Brianna Cooney (junior/Sheppton) and Rachel Emmons (freshman/Washington, N.J.).
Plastow calls Emmons a strong addition to the team. "She is a hard-working, gutsy player who brings developing defensive and offensive skills to the courts."
"I'd like to get as many people into the lineup as I can. I want to especially give the freshmen as much playing experience as I can," the coach said. She added that more women players are being sought to add depth.
Plastow is a former nationally ranked junior player from Northwestern Ohio. She played four years of varsity tennis on the boys' team at John F. Kennedy High School in Warren, where she teamed with her younger brother to win a state high school doubles championship in 1976.
She earned a scholarship and was a four-year varsity player at Northwestern University, where she played at Nos. 1 and 2 in singles and No. 1 doubles. During that time, she captured a Big Ten championship at No. 2 singles and at No. 1 doubles.
Plastow is a certified United States Tennis Association teaching professional with special credits in Teaching the Modern Game and Tennis Programming.
(Complete rosters and season schedules are available on the college's Athletics Web site .)