GOSHEN, Ind. — How often have you heard someone say, “Do you want the good news or the bad news first?” Much like any other athletic program, as the Goshen College women’s tennis program transitions from 2007 to 2008, there definitely is a bit of both.

The bad news: The Maple Leafs graduated their top two singles players in Diana Diaz and Laurelyn Foderaro. The pair also teamed up to play at the number one doubles spot for Goshen.

“Diana and Laurelyn not only held those top spots,” said fourth-year head coach Sarah Yoder, “they were highly successful there, bringing in a lot of team points.” In fact, the pair accounted for the lone Maple Leafs points at the 2007 Mid-Central Conference Championships. Foderaro reached the championship round at the No. 2 singles spot and the paired up for a second-place finish at the top doubles spot.

The two combined for five All Mid-Central Conference awards in their storied careers, while Diaz ends her run fourth in the history of the program with 65 career wins. They certaintly win be missed.

The good news: The 2008 roster is filled with young and talented players that have a chance and ability to shine.

“Anytime you lose those type of players, you have holes to fill,” Yoder acknowledged, but added, “I have a great group of new players coming in this year.”

Yoder has brought in a pair of freshman who are coming off outstanding high school careers in Summer Hasan and Laura Krabill.

A four-year letterman at Newton High School (Newton, Kans.), Hasan spent her junior and senior seasons as team captain, while playing at the No. 1 singles slot. In addition to her excellent high school career, Hasan has been heavily involved with club at USTA competition. In 2006, Hasan showed her versatility by winning the singles title at the Abilene Eisenhower Classic and was the doubles champion at the Newton Open. In 2007, she has already followed that up with a singles championship at the Wichita Tanisha Open.

Playing at No. 1 singles, Krabill rattled off a 21-14 record as a senior to lead Princeton High School (Tiskilwa, Ill.) to a 10-4 record. After finishing fourth in the sectional tournament, she became the first Princeton women’s tennis player to qualify for the state tournament since 2004. She was named Player of the Year by both the Bureau County Republican and the NewsTribune newspapers in Northern Illinois.

“The transition to college tennis will take some time, but I expect them to contribute right away,” said Yoder of her two summer signees.

Krabill, Hasan, and fellow freshman Menan Assefa (Indianapolis, Ind.) will join returners Rachel Lanctot (So., Bristol, Ind.), Hannah Groff (Jr., Blue Ball, Penn.), Alyssa Dewing (So., Indianapolis, Ind.), and Chelsea Wampler (So., Bourbon, Ind.) on a very young Maple Leaf squad.

Having played directly behind Foderaro and Diaz a year ago, Lanctot is likely to move right up the lineup for Goshen.

“She has worked hard on her game in the offseason and I think she will make the transition smoothly,” Yoder said. “She has a wonderful baseline game and has been working hard to add more variety to her game.”

“I am very excited about the young team we will be fielding this year,” Yoder, a former Maple Leaf standout herself, added. “We will have to fight hard for every single conference match, but I believe we have the potential to experience quite a bit of success.”

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 28th, 2008 and is filed under News, Women's Tennis.