Thursday, September 16, 1993
South paw
Athlete Of The Week: Melissa Barger
by Hal D. Coffey posting a 10-2 overall record.
News editor For her excellent start, Barger
has been selected Athlete of the
Week.
The Athlete of the Week has
been described by her coach as
"hotter than a red chilli pepper."
Melissa Barger has lived up to
Behrend women's tennis coach
Dan Gallegos' comments by
Barger (sophomore biology and
math major) was a key member
of last year's record-setting team,
but she believes this year's squad
may reach even higher.
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THE LOGAN WINTERGARDEN SERIES
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"We have a very good chance of
having a winning record this
year," Barger said. "Maybe even
finally a victory over Allegheny
(College)."
The Armstrong Central graduate
was recruited by Coach Gallegos,
but she believes that he knows
what her priorities are.
"I came to college for an
education first and tennis second.
Coach understands that," Barger
said. "But that doesn't mean I
don't give 100% on every single
point."
Barger proved that this past
weekend in a tri-match with Thiel
College and Waynesburg
College. She won both of her
singles matches (10-2, 10-1) with
ease. She then combined with
Rhonda Dennison to win two
doubles matches (10-2, 10-4) to
complete a four-win day.
Gallegos credits his recent
success to her service game.
"She's got a big lefty slice serve
that could cut up an Arctic
iceberg," Gallegos said. "She
uses her head and her racquet to
dice up her opponents like a
Quisinart."
Barger believes the closeness of
the team helps contribute to their
success.
"The team is great. All of the
girls get along really well on and
off the court."
Barger is very involved off the
court, while she maintains a 3.2
GPA in the honors program.
She is a member of Alpha Sigma
Alpha, Lambda Sigma honor
society, and biology club.
BRING YOUR LUNCH TO THE
PENN STATE-BEHREND WINTERGARDEN
AND ENJOY WORLD-CLASS PERFORMANCES
IN AN INFORMAL SETTING. ADMISSION IS FREE
Lady Netters
start strong
by Paul Young
Collegian Staff
Last year's edition of the Penn
State Behrend's women's tennis
team finished the season with a
won-loss record of 8-7, their first
winning season in the college's
history.
That type of performance led to
even higher expectations for the
'93-'94 campaign. So far, with
five wins in their first six
matches, the lady aces are not
disappointing.
Leading the way once again is
sophomore Annmarie Faso of
Wexford, PA. She set the record
this past year for the most
singles wins in a season, posting
an outstanding 18-3 mark.
Undefeated in her first six
singles appearances, Faso's
mission to surpass her productive
freshman outing is well
underway.
Returning to this year's young
but seasoned squad are
sophomores Jennifer Puerto,
Melissa Barger, Holly Olarczuk,
and Rhonda Dennison. They are
joined by first year players,
junior Amber Palmer, and
freshmen Shelly Pearson and
Melissa Kelly.
The Lady Lions are led by
fourth year coach Dan Gallegos,
who has witnessed tremendous
improvement in both the men's
and women's tennis programs
during his first three seasons.
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 20
PENNSTATE
raj Erie
Coach Gallegos strongly
believes that what the women's
team lacks in experience and
natural talent will be surely
compensated, and even surpassed,
by their "enthusiasm and strong
work ethic."
The lady netters began with
two victories over Fredonia in
one week, defeating them each
time by identical 7-2 match
scores. In both matches the
outcome was decided after the six
singles matches, rendering the
final three doubles events
meaningless.
Next came Buffalo State and a
5-4 setback, their only loss at
this point. The Lady Lions had
their chances and they are looking
forward to meeting them again at
home later this month.
The women followed up their
defeat with great poise, beating
Thiel 5-4 the very next day. Once
again, they took five out of six
singles matches to post a
convincing win.
Finally, the women's team
travelled to Greenville, PA to
compete in a tri-match with Thiel
and Waynesburg. They lost only
one match the entire day,
drubbing Waynesburg 8-1 and
blanking Thiel 9-0.
The Lady Lions' next match is
against Alfred University this
Saturday, here at Behind.
STEVE ON
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