ITA Atlantic South Region Rankings
HAVERFORD, Pa. – The Haverford College women's tennis team will begin the 2019 portion of its season as the eighth-ranked team in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's (ITA) Atlantic South Region team rankings. That spot in the rankings matches the Fords' spot from the final poll of 2018 when the women's tennis program achieved its first-ever national ranking.
The Fords are sitting just outside of the national rankings to start 2019 as they are the highest ranked team in the region not to be ranked in the national poll. Haverford is the second-highest ranked team among its Centennial Conference peers as Johns Hopkins (No. 6 region, No. 23 nationally) and Swarthmore (No. 9 region) are also ranked in the first poll of the spring season.
Haverford embarked on a historic first season under head coach Andrew Cohn a season ago as the Fords went 13-4 overall, including an 8-2 record in Centennial Conference matches during the regular season. The Fords were 10-3 amongst teams in the Atlantic South Region last year. During the postseason, Haverford avenged one of those regular season defeats as it downed rival Swarthmore by a 5-1 score during the Centennial Conference semifinals to make the championship match for just the second time in team history (2014).
Haverford will return three of its top five players from last year's singles lineup as each of those players were also regulars during doubles play. Jane Bary brings a 24-9 career singles record and 26 more doubles victories into her senior campaign. A first-team All-CC Selection in singles, she was a perfect 10-0 at No. 2 singles in 2018. Emily Shutman was an honorable mention All-CC singles performer last year as she went 13-7 overall in singles (8-1 at her usual No. 4 spot in the lineup). Shutman, a junior, also played No. 1 singles during her rookie campaign and has an additional 23 doubles wins to her resume. Bary and Shutman teamed up to make a second-team All-CC duo at No. 1 doubles last year.
Junior Clara Farrehi has also been a regular in Haverford's lineup throughout her career. She played primarily at No. 5 singles last year, winning a total of nine singles matches. Farrehi has truly excelled in doubles where she holds 26 career victories. The lineup will also look to be boosted by first-year Claire Johnson who led the Fords with three singles wins during the limited fall season. Classmate Anne Tobin played alongside Bary in fall doubles as that duo combining for a team-best four victories together.
Women's tennis will certainly be tested early as the Fords' first three matches are all against nationally-ranked opponents. The season opens up at home on Saturday, February 23 against New York University. The team will also see defending national champion Claremont-Mudd-Scripps during the Fords' week in California over Spring Break.