EMORY, Va. – The Emory & Henry College Women's Tennis Team is already on pace to have one of its best seasons in the last 10 years, sporting a 6-0 overall record. E&H was 3-0 during the fall portion of the season and has already picked up three wins in the last week to open the spring.
The Wasps are under the direction of Head Coach Jessica Giuggioli, a native Italian, who started with the program in August. She knew that there would be challenges with her first year as the team's roster size was less than ideal. However, Emory & Henry won all three of its contests during the fall, giving up two points before the match even started due to only having five players.
"I want to give a lot of credit to the other members of the team for starting us off 3-0 during the fall. They have improved a lot because of their hard work and our wins against Maryville and Bluefield are proof of that," said Giuggioli.
The win over Maryville was the first since April 6, 2007 and the Wasps took down the Lady Rams of Bluefield to open the spring portion of the season for the first time in over 10 years.
With just four returners for the spring semester, Giuggioli knew that adding players during Christmas break would be very important. She found Stella Di Michele from San Remo, Italy on the Italian ranking system's website and noticed that she had graduated from high school but was not in college. Giuggioli contacted Di Michele and learned that she had received offers to play college tennis but had not found the right fit.
"I was surprised when Coach Giuggioli contacted me for the first time, I didn't expect it," said Di Michele. "She told me Emory & Henry's story and I requested more information and we went from there. Coming to E&H was the first time that I had ever been to the United States, so I didn't have any expectations about what it was going to be like. Every day is new and I am still learning".
When asked why she picked Emory & Henry over other schools that recruited her, Di Michele was quick to acknowledge her coach. "She is an Italian like me. That connection helped with the language barrier and getting through the paperwork to come here for school. I don't think I would be as comfortable playing in the U.S. for someone who isn't Italian."
Di Michele came in and earned a spot at No. 1 singles. She is currently paired with sophomore Taylor Evans (Weber City, Va.) in doubles and the duo has played both at the first and second flights so far.
The lone senior on the squad, Alyssa Wingate (Independence, Va.), may have moved down to the second singles flight, Giuggioli made it clear that this was not a demotion. Evans and sophomore Meredith Yeary (Knoxville, Tenn.) have gone from No. 2 and No. 3, to three and four, with freshman Lauren Riner (Coeburn, Va.) playing in the fifth spot.
"Before the start of spring practice, I talked to Alyssa and let her know how important she was for this team. She has played very well at number one for the last three years, and now that she's at number two she has potential to go undefeated in the conference," Giuggioli added.
The Wasps current five are undefeated in singles matches, which means a lot since E&H is still giving up two points to start every match with No. 3 doubles and No. 6 singles unfilled.
While she still may be adjusting to her new surroundings in Southwest Virginia, Di Michele's goals for this season know no international boundaries. "We want to win everything and do our best every time we go out on the court."
The Wasps will have their first test against an Old Dominion Athletic Conference opponent on Sunday. E&H will take on Randolph-Macon College at noon at Richardson Tennis Courts. The match will be a doubleheader with the men's team.
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-photo courtesy of Caleb Johnston, E&H '15