The University of Illinois Springfield women’s and men’s tennis teams hit some milestones with their performances last season.
On the men’s side, UIS set the program record for wins in the NCAA Division II era with a 13-13 record. The women’s team also set a record for wins with an 11-15 mark.
It was the first time since the Prairie Stars entered Division II in 2009 that both the men’s and women’s squads had more than 10 wins.
Now that the Stars have shown they are making strides, the goal is to keep it going.
They hope to do so under first-year coach Samantha Schall, who was hired to replace Tom Rees in June.
“I’m excited about moving forward to keep seeing what this program can accomplish,” Schall said.
The foundation of the women’s team is No. 1 player Jane Carter. The junior is a two-time All-Great Lakes Valley Conference player who won the GLVC Freshman of the Year award in 2015.
The UIS men’s team is also larger with its 10 players. Senior Cole Buehnerkemper, the Stars' No. 1 singles player last season, returns.
“We have a really good foundation on the men’s side,” Schall said.
This article appeared in The State Journal-Register on September 13, 2016.
Read the entire article here.
