2008 Demon Deacon Tennis sdfsdfsdfds- fsdfsfdsdfsdfsdfsdfsdf Radio/TV Chart Alex Hirsch - SR Ana Jerman - JR Sasha Kulikova - SO Jenna Loeb -SR Emilee Malvehy - FR Sierra Poske - JR Katarina Reveche - FR Christian Tara - JR Pronunciation Guide Alex HER-sh Ana GER-man Sasha Kool-i-KOE-va Jenna LOBE Emilee Mal-VAY-he Sierra POS-kee Katarina Re-VECH-ay Christian TARE-a Chad Skorupka Biffy Kaufman Chad Skor-UP-ka Head Coach Assistant Coach 2007-08 DEMON DEACON ROSTER Alex Hirsch SR Atlanta, Ga. Atlanta International School Ana Jerman JR Ljubljana, Slovenia Bradenton Academy Sasha Kulikova SO Moscow, Russia Moscow State School #41 Jenna Loeb SR Ossining, N.Y. Ossining High School Emilee Malvehy FR Auburn, Calif. Bear River High School Sierra Poske JR Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. Nease High School Katarina Reveche FR Canoga Park, Calif. Campbell Hall Christian Tara JR Lake Bluff, Ill. Lake Forest Academy Chad Skorupka Head Coach 3rd Season Penn State, 1994 Elizabeth “Biffy” Kaufman Assistant Coach 1st Season Yale, 2003 2007-08 ROSTER INFORMATION 13 2008 Demon Deacon Tennis sdfs fs Deacons Look to Match Big Wins from 2007 Veterans Set to Propel Deacons Through Rigorous Schedule The 2007-08 Squad earned a starting position immediately. She’s proven she has In 2008 the Demon Deacons will rely upon leadership from up- the drive to compete at this level.” perclassmen as the team battles through one of the toughest schedules in the country. The Deacs welcome two newcomers to this year’s squad, Katarina Reveche and Emilee Malvehy, both out of California. “For the upcoming dual match season we have a good mix top to bottom of playing experience and solid new talent that will Reveche is a five star "blue chip" recruit from Canoga Park, lead to a successfull 2008 campaign,” Head Coach Chad Sko- Calif. She has consistently ranked in the top 30 of the USTA rupka said. Girls' national rankings and was ranked in the top 10 of Califor- nia players. Malvehy, an Auburn, Calif. native, is a five star re- Senior Alex Hirsch topped WFU’s lineup in 2007, finishing 8-10 in singles and 7-5 in doubles with partner Ashlee Davis. Davis and Hirsch were selected for the NCAA doubles championship, becoming WFU’s first tandem selection since 2005. Hirsch’s largest ’07 singles upset came against fourth ranked Jenna Long, a clinching win for the Deacons over No. 4 North Carolina at the ACC opener in Winston-Salem. The Atlanta, Ga. native earned All-ACC honors for her 4-5 singles record and 6-3 doubles mark in conference play. “Although the team finished in the top 20 for the first time in five years in 2007, the team finished the season with some in- juries that hurt us on the court. We didn’t have Alex Hirsch for the NCAA Regionals and any time you have your No. 1 player out that hurts.” Skorupka said. Senior Jenna Loeb struggled with injuries last season but will look to recover and make an impact in the 2008 Deacon lineup. Loeb saw singles court time in two ACC contests last season, landing a win over Boston College’s Sarah Svoboda. Ana Jerman, Sierra Poske and Christian Tara make up the Dea- cons’ junior class and their performance will be crucial for Wake’s success in 2008. All three had regular starts in the middle of the lineup last season. “Their effort makes the difference in our winning or losing this season,” Skorupka said. “The juniors are the heart of the lineup and have the experience now to get things done.” Sasha Kulikova returns as the lone Deacon sophomore. Ku- likova earned the team’s MVP award last season and posted the team’s highest ACC mark with nine conference wins. Alex Hirsch “Last season she was the only rookie, but she stepped up and 14 SEASON OUTLOOK 2008 Demon Deacon Tennis sdfds-fsdf sdfsfdsdfsdfsdfsdfsdf cruit according to tennisrecruiting.net. “Katarina and Emilee are two extremely talented athletes. I’m looking to see them get good experience this fall so they can make an immediate impact in dual match season.” The Road Ahead The non-conference portion of the spring schedule features some of the nation’s top competition, including six teams that finished in the ITA’s Top 30 at the end of the 2007 season. The Deacs will open the spring schedule with a road match against 15th-ranked William & Mary*, the squad that ended WFU’s season at the NCAA Tournament in 2007. Sasha Kulikova February play includes home matches with Penn State, 23rd- ranked Tennessee, 24th-ranked Indiana and No. 7 Notre Dame with a possible trip to the ITA Indoors tournament which show- cases the nation’s top 15 teams. “It’s one of the toughest schedules in the country, no ques- tion,” Skorupka said. “We’re hoping that we can pull out some The Deacs will spend early March in Texas facing Big 12 com- big wins, so that combined with the strength of our schedule petition from 13th-ranked Baylor and 25th-ranked Texas A&M. should give us a big lift in the rankings.” The TCU Horned Frogs will wrap up the Deacs non-conference portion of the schedule in Winston-Salem on March 6. A Quick Look Back In 2007, the Deacons finished 15-8 overall and 7-4 in ACC ac- Spring Break consists of a trip out west to San Diego with a tion. The squad peaked at No. 14 in the rankings at the start match against San Diego State on March 13. of ACC season following a huge upset over North Carolina. In the ACC Tournament, the Deacs defeated Maryland (4-0) in In 2008, the Deacons will have seven consecutive ACC road the first round but were ousted by North Carolina in the second battles, beginning with Maryland on March 22 and ending with round (4-0). The Deacons were invited to the dance for the NC State on April 6. The stretch includes No. 11 Clemson on second consecutive season, defeating Penn in the first round March 29 and 2007 NCAA Champions Georgia Tech on March (4-1), but falling to William & Mary in the second round (4-1). 30. No. 9 Miami will close out the Deacs’ regular season schedule on April 13 in Winston-Salem. *all rankings are from ITA’s final 2007 season poll Katarina Reveche (L) and Emilee Malvehy (R) SEASON OUTLOOK 15 2008 Demon Deacon Tennis sdfs fs Chad Skorupka 3rd season Penn State, 1994 Career Record: 87-42 WFU Record: 29-18 After two seasons, Wake Forest head coach Chad Skorupka has 1999-2001. proved he has what it takes to guide a winning team in what is widely rec- Prior to returning to Winston-Salem, Skorupka spent four years as the ognized as one of the nation’s top tennis conferences. head coach of the Yale Bulldogs. Skorupka led the Bulldogs to a 58-24 overall In 2006, Skorupka took over a team that hadn’t had a winning season record, including the 2002 fall ECAC Championship. Under his tutelage, a in three years and led the squad to a 14-10 record. Skorupka followed up total of 10 athletes were named to the All-Ivy team in singles, including four with a stellar 15-8 season and a winning ACC record of 7-4 in 2007, the pairs that earned the honor in doubles. During both the 2003 and 2004 sea- team’s best conference finish since 2001. sons, the team was named ITA All-Academic squad and five individuals re- The Deacons hit new heights under Skorupka’s guidance last season. ceived ITA Scholar Athlete honors. The team peaked at No. 14 in the rankings, the highest mark in program his- In 2004, Skorupka guided the Bulldogs to a 12-7 overall record and tory. The Deacons finished 15-8 during dual match season with a 7-4 con- closed the year with a No. 70 national ranking. Yale finished in fourth place ference record. in the Ivy League and four athletes earned All-Ivy League honors. He was During the season, the No. 23 Deacons staged a massive upset over also honored that season as the 2004 ITA East Region Coach of the Year. No. 4 North Carolina on March 1. Alex Hirsch, Christian Tara and Sasha Kuli- In 2003, the Bulldogs finished the year as the No. 53 team in the nation vaka earned singles wins to take the victory following the Deacons’ double and earned victories over No. 13 Wake Forest and No. 34 Ohio State. The point win. program was also honored with the 2003 Alexis Boss Team Sportswoman- The squad received a berth to the NCAA Tournament for the second ship Award at the Brown Fall Invitational. consecutive year, where they advanced to the second round before falling Prior to his stint at Yale, Skorupka was an assistant coach at Wake to William & Mary. Forest for two years and helped guide the Demon Deacons to a 42-12 overall In his first season, with no seniors on the roster, Skorupka guided Wake record and two NCAA Tournament appearances. In 2001, WFU finished with Forest to a 14-10 record and the second round of the NCAA Tournament. an 18-9 overall record and advanced to the round of 16 at the NCAA Team Skorupka had three players ranked in the top 100 over the course of Championships -- all with only six players on the roster. Also in 2001, Sko- the season and sophomore Alex Hirsch qualified for the NCAA Singles Tour- rupka assisted in the development of All-Americans Bea Belik, Janet nament.