CCC Coaches Pick Women's Tennis to Finish Seventh

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Endicott College, the defending champion, has been tabbed as the favorite to win the 2015 Commonwealth Coast Conference women's tennis championship after receiving five first place votes and a total of 74 points in the CCC preseason poll. Nichols College, the 2014 runner-up, tied for second place with 67 points and two first place votes while Roger Williams University claimed 67 points and one first place vote. Gordon College was selected fourth after receiving 61 points and the remaining first place vote. Western New England University was chosen fifth with 41 points to round out the top billing.

Voting for the preseason poll was conducted among the league's head women's tennis coaches.

The 2014 CCC championship match saw the Gulls claim their fourth-consecutive title as they defeated the second-seeded Bison, 5-1. This was the fourth-straight season that Endicott and Nichols fought for the CCC championship title. The Gulls' postseason continued at Williams College where they competed in the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament. Endicott claimed a 5-0 victory over Farmingdale State to advance into the second round of the national tournament for the third time in program history. The Gulls saw their tournament run end after falling 5-0 to top-seeded Williams, the eventual NCAA tournament champion.

Last season the Wentworth women's tennis team had its postseason hopes dashed in its final match of the season when the Leopards were edged by Western New England. A solid group of players return to this year's team and third-year head coach Erin Phillips hopes that the returners mixed with a strong freshman class will help the Leopards make a run at the Commonwealth Coast Conference Tournament, something that has eluded Wentworth since the 2009 campaign. Sophomore Caitlyn Briggs (Lee, Mass.), an All-CCC selection in doubles play last season headlines the returners after winning six singles matches (five at number three) and five doubles matches (four at number one). Senior Nicole McColgan (Tewksbury, Mass.) picked up four wins in at number two singles and had six doubles wins, while senior Nicole Mooney (Waterford, Conn.) (six singles wins, five doubles wins) and sophomore Emily Jodoin (Burrillville, R.I.) (five doubles wins) also return for the Leopards.
 
2015 CCC Women's Tennis Preseason Coaches' Poll

Next week marks the start of the fall season for the nine CCC women's tennis teams. The six-team conference tournament will begin Tuesday, October 6, with quarterfinal contests featuring the No. 3-6 seeds. The top two seeds in the regular-season standings will receive byes and host the semifinal matchups on Thursday, October 8. The two semifinal victors will battle for the CCC championship on Saturday, October 10.

Wentworth opens the season with a home match against Worcester State on September 1, at 3:30 p.m.