GOSHEN, Ind. - There is a lot of momentum building in the Goshen College tennis programs. Not only are the teams becoming more successful by the year, with both squads returning from appearances in the Crossroads League tournament last season, but they will also be playing on new and updated tennis courts very soon.

Construction began at the beginning of August to put new courts in, which are still at the current site of the GC Tennis Complex. Fence posts have been placed, and new chain-link fencing is being added currently. The plan is for it to be complete at the start of October, in time for the Goshen home opener on Friday, October 10, against Davenport at noon. The courts will be purple with a gray exterior outside the courts, and there will now be eight instead of ten courts. You can give now to support the fundraising effort for the new tennis complex by following this link.

Head coach Jon Bemisderfer noted the benefits that will make the courts more appealing to potential recruits, but was careful to point out that that is not all that shapes a program. "There will be no more cracks, and the spacing between courts will be the regulation amount," he said. "The courts will be beautiful, and new facilities are very appealing for any recruit. However, it's not the facilities but the environment that molds a team."

Regarding the play that will be on the court, both teams are returning from their best seasons in a while. With seven wins, the women's tennis team earned its most wins in a season since 2004. Comparatively, they had seven wins in total from the 2012 to 2021 seasons. Blanka Bodo and Uliana Dotsenko were both selected on the All-Crossroads League team. Bodo's 13 wins at #1 singles is tied for the second-most in a season in program history, and the most since 1991. Freshman Dotsenko's 14 wins at #2 singles are the most in program history. 

Goshen's nine wins for the men were their most in a season since 2019. Timo Novak was the first Crossroads League Men's Tennis Player of the Week for the Leafs since 2015, but Filippo Gallo and Pedro Scattolon would soon also earn the award later in the season. Gallo and Novak made the All-Crossroads Team as well. Scattolon's 15 wins at #6 singles is the most in a season in program history. Timo Novak's 16 wins at #3 singles tied a program record, and Matija Margetic's 13 wins at #2 singles is tied for second and the most at that position since 1984.

Scattolon graduated last spring but is back as the assistant coach for the men's and women's teams. "I'm grateful to have Pedro and our new volunteer assistant Kurtis Davis," said Bemisderfer. "I'm most looking forward to having more staff for the players."

Yet another new change for the tennis program is the shift of the Crossroads League portion of the schedule from the fall to the spring season to be aligned with the rest of the NAIA. "Our training in the fall will have more of an actual preseason vibe since we don't play matches right away," shared Bemisderfer. Goshen would have already played their first conference match by this time a year ago. Now that won't happen until March 20. "The fall focus will be on finding doubles pairings and establishing roster positions."

The men will have more depth from top to bottom. Iago Cicui, a freshman from Resistencia, Argentina, will potentially play in the top half of the lineup. Garrett Stoltzfus, a freshman from Goshen and Fairfield High School, will add depth in the middle or bottom half of the lineup.

The women look to be much more competitive this year. Vishmi Serasinghe is eligible, and Maria Clara Fonte is back from injury. Marin Kawano, a freshman from Osaka, Japan, will add depth similarly to Stoltzfus in the middle or bottom half of the lineup.

The action begins next weekend, with the men at Prairie State on Friday, September 12, and the women at IU-Kokomo on Saturday, September 13. The ITA Regional Tournament will be at Holy Cross College from September 25-27. Goshen will be down in Tennessee during the first weekend in October and will wrap up their fall schedule by the end of the month. The spring season starts in early February, and the Crossroads League Quarterfinals begin on April 21. The NAIA National Championships go from May 12-16 in Mobile, Alabama.