SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - Defending Champion Nichols College has been selected as the preseason favorite to capture the Commonwealth Coast Conference women's tennis championship, it was announced today by Commissioner Gregg M. Kaye. Voting for the preseason poll was conducted among the league's head women's tennis coaches.

Nichols (21-2, 10-0 TCCC) received seven of a possible nine first-place votes in the 2011 CCC preseason poll. Roger Williams University (12-5, 10-1) was picked as the runner-up receiving one first-place vote, while Salve Regina University (10-4, 9-2) was chosen third and garnered the remaining first-place vote.

A year ago the Nichols women's tennis team swept its way through the Commonwealth Coast Conference Championship to earn its first-ever conference title and trip to the NCAA Championships. The Bison see the bulk of the team return for 2011, including last year's CCC Player and Rookie of the Year Anna Dyakiv, who set the Nichols mark for singles victories in a season with 21. The 2009 CCC Rookie of the Year and two-time All-CCC honoree Jillian McQuiggan also returns and will bolster a Bison lineup that won 14-straight matches from September through March en route to the NCAA's.

Roger Williams welcomes back first team all-conference selections junior Tracy Klein and sophomore Samantha Curran. Senior Amanda Wolfe was an honorable mention pick for the All-CCC team leading the team in both singles wins (15) and doubles (11). Curran had an extremely successful rookie year collecting 11 wins at #1 singles and 10 wins at #1 doubles, while Klein tied for team lead with 11 doubles wins, nine with Wolfe. Wolfe claimed 10 singles conference wins last season, while Klein and Curran each had eight.

The Salve Regina Seahawks will be led by a pair of all-conference returners this year with senior Nichol Stevens and sophomore Ana Gwozdz as they look to avenge a loss in the CCC semifinals last season. The team also needs just seven victories to help head coach Ed Habershaw reach the milestone of 200 career wins with the women's program.

In 2011, Endicott College (8-6, 8-3) welcomes back seniors Kate Cioffi and Emily Annis who each earned All-CCC nods a season ago.  Cioffi, Endicott's first team All-CCC singles star, ranked tied for second in the conference in wins (11) at the #1 singles spot and third in win percentage (.846) while Annis, an honorable mention All-CCC doubles player with Cioffi, racked up a 5-2 mark against league opponents in the regular season in #1 doubles.  With 18 players reporting to preseason camp, the Gulls figure to have a deep roster ready to vie for the CCC Championship. 

Western New England (7-10, 5-6) returns three all-conference honorees, including Nicole DeSimone, Christina Barbarisi, Caitlin Hughes. Barbarisi, the Golden Bear's lone first team selection, won nine matches at #2 singles last year, eight within conference play. DeSimone, a second team All-CCC pick, was victorious in six conference matches at #1 singles, while Hughes, also a second teamer, was perfect at #3 singles with an untainted 9-0 conference record. Other top Golden Bears returners include Jessica Haffner (9-5, 6-4 singles) and Linda Mustafa (6-9, 5-4 singles).

The Curry College (12-0, 8-5) women look to leader Richard Murray for repeated success on the court. The 2010 CCC Coach of the Year welcomes back sophomore all-league selections Megan Mulrooney, Lauren Chuha, and Emily Mongello. Mulrooney, a first team singles pick, led the team in wins (9) from the #1 singles sport, five within conference matches and posted eight conference victories at #2 doubles.  The tandem of Chuha and Mongello was a force to be reckoned with as the duo picked up nine league wins at the #1 doubles spot. The pair earned second team All-CCC recognition last season. Additional noteworthy returners to watch for include Kate Johnson (6-4, 5-3 singles) and Kathleen Rush (6-9, 5-6 singles).

Under the leadership of senior Kallie Garrett, the Gordon College women (4-10, 4-7) look to rebound from a tough season with a solid squad of five veterans.

The Wentworth women's tennis team (3-12, 3-8) lost just two players from last year's squad. Sophomore Deborah Massaro posted a 10-2 singles record and five wins in doubles play last season to highlight the returners, while junior Jillian Flynn (seven singles wins, four doubles wins), senior Joanna Gustafson (four singles wins), and junior Natalya Cappellini (four singles wins) look to help the Leopards.

Eastern Nazarene's (1-13, 1-10) top three singles players return with the trio comprising of seniors Sharon Lemire and Lauren Keith, and junior Elise Sleeper who are looking to help the Lions improve and make a run at the post-season.

2011 TCCC PRESEASON WOMEN'S TENNIS POLL

Teams received nine points for every first place vote received, eight points for second place votes, seven points for third place votes, down to one point for a last place vote. First place votes are shown in parentheses.

(Release Courtesy of the Commonwealth Coast Conference Office)