Seniors will miss creating ''racquet'' on the court

by Chris Vescl assistant copy editor

The women's tennis team has just finished its season, which included competition in the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference championship. Nicole Klimas, Lisa Finegan and Helene Casinelli are the team's senior members.

Klimas, who has been playing tennis at Cabrini for four years, was a "walk on" as a freshman. That is, Coach Reggie Day would use her in matches only if he needed an extra person. Klimas had played a bit before college but admits that it was "nothing really competitive." She chooses to highlight her senior year as her favorite tennis memory-she began to play more and win more. Klimas, who is the captain of the team now, can truly see the difference and improvement from her freshman year when she could "barely hit the ball."

An English/communications major with a minor in graphic arts, Klimas wants to work for a magazine after graduating. She will continue to play tennis for leisure after college but insists it will be "nothing serious." She sums up her tennis career by saying, "I enjoyed it a lot over the past four years. I had no clue what tennis was about when I first went in."

Casinelli, who just joined the team this season, hadn't played tennis competitively since high school. However, she maintains that she has become "more consistent" by "re-teaching herself." She also praises Day who "knows tennis very well" and is happy if the players simply "give it our all." Her fond memory is that she was able to meet more people and saw the team pull together. In the season's beginning, the team was struggling due to low numbers, but Casinelli and a few others came on board to make sure the season "ended strong."

Casinelli, an early childhood education major, will be student teaching in the spring and hopes to find a permanent teaching job soon after. She, like Klimas, will continue to play tennis for fun. She sums up the tennis season by saying, If you believe in yourself and your team and give it your best shot, anything is possible."

Finegan also played tennis for just one season but has been playing non-competitively her whole life. She joined the team this year because she wanted to "try something new" and "have fun." Once she got into the sport. she "improved rapidly." Looking fondly back on this past season, Finegan wishes she had played all four years of her time at Cabrini. However, she does worry about future teams in terms of numbers and hopes more vigorous recruiting will ensue.

After graduating, Finegan plans to travel. An English/communications major with a concentration in theater, her main goal is to eventually be an actress. Just like her two senior teammates, Finegan plans to continue playing tennis after college.