Emory, Va. - Both coach Kevin Girard of men's tennis and Jessica Giuggioli of women's tennis are in there second year as coach at Emory & Henry College. Girard and he men's program finished with a 3-14 record last season and finished 10th in conference. The women's program completed the season in 7th with a 10-10 record. Both programs are looking to make progress in the ODAC.
Coach Girard has some continuity on his team this season with sophomores John Dalton Ferguson and Kamil Aliev near the top of his lineup. Ferguson finished with a team high 9 wins at the 2 spot last season. Predominantly in the three spot, Aliev picked up 5 singles and 5 doubles victories. Junior Jonathan Romano picked up 3 wins on the year, while sophomores Luke Funkhouser and Eric Logan picked up 3 successes combined. With the addition of three freshmen, Dillan Dodson, Robins McIntosh, Alex Polydoroff, the Wasps will look to increase their win total from last year. The team is already off to a promising start by going 2-1 in the fall season.
The women's team was picked to finish fifth in the ODAC this season. They were one of only two schools to receive a first place (Washington & Lee being the other program). The Wasps certainly has an international flavor. The team is stacked with three Italian players, starting with sophomore Stella Di Michele. Di Michele was named the ODAC Rookie of the Year last year by going 16-1in singles. Di Michele was named All-ODAC First Team in singles and All-ODAC Second Team in doubles. Her doubles partner, sophomore Lauren Riner, helped lead that team to a 6-3 doubles record. Riner posted 10 wins in her first season with the Wasps. Coach Giuggioli brought in two other Italian players this season to bolster her squad. Junior Chiara Mossi from Manduria, Italy will be a great addition to the team. While Sveva Mazzari from San Remo, Italy, will likely be a force to be reckoned with in the ODAC. The tennis team will add junior Danielle Amoruso to the roster as well. Amoruso has yet to play at E&H in her previous years at the school. Di Michele and Mossi are already off to hot starts this season. Di Michele is currently ranked 24th in the ITA South Atlantic Region. Mossi is the 27th ranked player in the ITA South Atlantic Region.
Be sure to make it out to the tennis matches this season. This year is certainly looking to be an exciting one for both sides. Both of the team's first home matches are on February 27th. The women will take on Bluefield as the men face off against Averett.
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-photos courtesy of Caleb Johnston, E&H '15