MEET THE WILDCATS
SARAH FORESTER Junior/Sophomore Corvallis, Oregon
taryn fujimori Senior/Senior Mililani, Hawaii
alexis garner Sophomore/Sophomore Meridian, Idaho
lexie matsunaga Senior/Junior Aiea, Hawaii
lisa pontl Freshman/Freshman Westminster, California
emma tuttle Sophomore/Sophomore Ridgefield, Washington
allena wong Senior/Junior Mililani, Hawaii
tessa kern Interim Head Coach First Year
ella riddle maliska Assistant Coach Fourth Year
SEASON OUTLOOK
Wildcats solid top to bottom
With six veterans back from last year’s NWC championship team,
by joe stuart ’20The Linfield women’s tennis team, under first-year head coach Tessa Kern, returns six players from last spring’s Northwest Conference championship team, including four all-NWC picks.
Lineup depth will once again be a strength for Linfield. Last season the Wildcats posted a 38-9 record in No. 3, 4 and 5 singles matches and a 26-7 mark in No. 2 and 3 doubles flights.
“Everyone plays at a high level on this team,” said Kern. “That allows me to mix around my lineup spots a lot because a lot of our girls play at a similar level, and then we can trust the lower half of the lineup in matches.”
“Doubles is something we’re always trying to be strong at just because that’s the jump start of the match so getting that early lead is really good, and something we can do because we’ve got a lot of strong doubles players on the team.”
Kern will look to her most experienced players, seniors Taryn Fujimori, Lexie Matsunaga and Allena Wong to lead the top of the Linfield lineup in singles and get the ‘Cats off to fast starts in doubles.
“Taryn just battles so hard through every match. She’s one of our most mentally tough players out there on the court. Lexie and Taryn are our top two for singles right now.”
“Having Lexie back is definitely a good thing for our doubles program. In the fall we had to do some mixing around just because she wasn’t there but with her back it’s been nice to see success in doubles all the way through the 1, 2 and 3 lineup spots.”
Fujimori posted a 6-2 record when playing No. 1 doubles last season while Matsunaga was 7-0 in the No. 2 spot.
“We’re still figuring out the double’s lineup, I’m looking at maybe putting Allena into that top spot just because she has the most amazing hands at the net and is a really good server.”
Fujimori was selected to the All-NWC First Team for the second time of her career last season, Matsunaga is a twotime all-conference selection and Wong earned her first career all-star nod last season.
But younger talent persists throughout the lineup, including with junior Sarah Forester, a Second Team All-NWC pick last year after going 12-3 in singles and 4-0 in doubles.
Kern will look to Forester to often hold down the No. 3 singles flight.
“We want Sarah in that No. 3 spot for singles. In this early season she’s really showed her potential. In the fall I watched her struggle with a mental block on certain things, but it’s been great to watch her move past that and swing out and really play how I know she can play.”
Linfield looks to junior Emma Tuttle, sophomore Alexis Garner and freshman Lisa Ponti to fill out the rest of the lineup. Tuttle, the most experienced of the trio, posted a 9-0 record in singles as a sophomore.
“With Emma, we’re working on the mental toughness, she can be hard on herself. But she is an incredible player and I want her to see that she’ she can play this game at a high level.”
Garner only saw action in four matches as a freshman but will be asked to often fill out the doubles lineup with solid team play at the net.
Ponti, the lone newcomer, has already shown that she will be a force down the line after a strong showing in the B Draw of the fall ITA West Region Tournament.
it’s likely Linfield’s winning ways will continue in 2023
