GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- A veteran lineup will lead the Tusculum University women's tennis team into the 2021 season, which begins with a pair of matches this week.
The Pioneers were impacted by injuries last spring, yet had a 6-3 record and a 2-1 mark in the South Atlantic Conference when the season was ended early due to the pandemic.
With five of the six singles players who teamed to lead the Pioneers to the SAC regular-season championship with a perfect 10-0 record in 2019, fifth-year head coach Adam Jackson believes that his veteran-laden squad can pick up where it left off in the 2019 championship campaign.
"The women's team has a ton of experience, and with everyone's excitement to compete again I believe we are capable of having a very special season," said Jackson. "The team is very close, experienced, and excited. It's a good combination for this spring."
The most significant improvement for the Pioneers over last season is the return of fifth-year players Annie McCullough and Caitlin McCullough. The sisters from Belfast, Northern Ireland were already slated to take a redshirt in the spring of 2020 before the pandemic allowed them an extra year of eligibility.
Annie McCullough was named preseason first-team All-SAC in both singles and doubles, and was SAC Player of the Year in 2019. McCullough earned ITA All-America honors last season after qualifying for the fall ITA Cup in both singles and doubles. A three-time All-Conference player in singles and a two-time All-SAC doubles pick, McCullough has 91 career singles wins between dual matches and tournament, and has a 54-12 career doubles record with her sister.
Caitlin McCullough has also been highly decorated throughout her Tusculum career, entering this season as a first-team preseason All-SAC pick in singles and second team in doubles. McCullough, who was an ITA All-American in doubles last fall, is 65-25 in singles in her collegiate career, with 46 of those wins at Tusculum, and is 74-17 all-time in doubles.
Senior Julia Lopez (Zaragoza, Spain) has been a reliable member of the Pioneer singles lineup for the past two seasons, going 14-5 overall last season and 46-20 for her career. Lopez, a preseason second-team All-SAC pick in singles, has gone 12-1 in conference singles competition over the past three seasons. Lopez has a 25-16 career doubles record and was honorable mention All-SAC in 2019.
Junior Emilie Hansen (Hvidovre, Denmark) finished 9-9 overall last season, playing at number-one singles during the SAC season. As a freshman, Hansen went 12-9 in dual matches while playing primarily at number two and three singles.
Junior Martina Marras (Xavita, Spain) was 8-1 in conference matches as a freshman, primarily playing at flight six. Last season, Marras went 6-6 in singles and has a 1-2 record in conference competition.
Freshman Paulina Loretz (San Mateo Atenco, Mexico) could crack the starting lineup for the Pioneers as a rookie. Along with her sister, Valentina, the Pioneers have two sets of twins on this season's squad.
Senior Amber Lackey (Roswell, Ga.) is expected to team with Hansen in doubles for the third straight season. The duo went 5-3 in the fall of 2018 and went 2-4 in the spring of 2020, with a 1-1 mark in conference matches. Lackey has a career doubles record of 45-19 with the Pioneers.
Also returning for the Pioneers are senior Javiera Ortiz (Lloello, Chile), who was 2-3 in singles and 4-1 in doubles last season and has a career singles record of 8-5. Sophomore Rory Church (Kennesaw, Ga.) was 6-5 in singles a year ago, and sophomore Chelsea Daugherty (Mosheim, Tenn.) played in one singles match as a freshman.
In addition to the Loretz sisters, joining the program this season are freshmen Johanna Palacio (Mar del Plata, Argentina) and Stefanie Rossmeier (Pocking, Germany).
