May 30, 2008

First-year Head Coach Ryan Weber took over the reigns of the program this past season and has quickly begun to build a solid squad. Although the Spartans combined for a 5-10 team record, the York side proved tough in close matches this season going 3-3 in contests decided by only one match.

“If a couple things go differently our record could have been better,” Weber said. “We started a good thing this year and with hard work I think we can continue to improve.

Weber began to put his stamp on the program toward the end of the season as the green and white won three of their last five contests. The trio of wins in this stretch included a 5-4 victory at Wesley and a pair of wins over Hood, the second of which came in the first round of the CAC tournament (6-3).

“Our athletes really started to put it together toward the end of the season,” Weber said. “Things began to click and we played well. It was nice to go out on a pretty high note.”

Keturah Buchanan (York, Pa./William Penn), the Spartans’ number one in 2008, posted a 5-10 mark but gained valuable experience that will pay dividends during next year’s senior campaign.

“Keturah put in some solid performances,” Weber said. “She works hard and wants to be really good. This year of seasoning should really help her in 2009.

Heidi Acker (Narvon, Pa./Pequea Valley) put together York’s best individual record, going 9-6 during the season. Megan Logan (West Chester, Pa./West Chester East) had a solid junior season as she reached a mark of 6-8 playing each of her matches as York’s number three singles player. Talented freshman Stephanie Nelson (Marriottsville, Md./Liberty) earned court time in eleven individual matches this year, posting a record of 6-7. 

“Heidi, Megan, and Stephanie played well for us this year,” Weber said. “Heidi continues to rack up wins while Megan and Stephanie both contributed strong showings. Next year should bring even better things for these three.

Nelson was also part of York’s six-win doubles team, pairing with Paige Doutrich (Gap, Pa./Pequea Valley). Buchanan and Logan played to a 4-2 mark in doubles action including winning three of their four matches in the second slot.

“Our doubles play is coming along,” Weber said. “Doubles is not easy but we still had some good success. We will continue to improve as we play and practice more.”

Despite losing seniors Katie Muir (Bel Air, Md./C. Milton Wright) and Kristin Frederick (Woodstock, Conn./Woodstock Academy), much of the Spartan roster returns in 2009. Buchanan, Acker, Logan, Nelson, and Doutrich all return while Amber Nelson (Marriottsville, Md./Liberty) and Caralyn Caruso (Chesterfield, N.J./Northern Burlington County) return for another campaign.

“All the experience that we have coming back should pay off next season,” Weber said. “Experience is one of those important factors that can really make a big difference. We look for that to be the case next season.”

With a full season of head coaching experience sufficiently under Weber’s belt and with much of the Spartan line up returning, York will look to make even further strides in 2009 as they seek to improve in the tough CAC.   

“We are going to get there,” Weber said of reaching the top to the conference. “Mary Washington and Salisbury are very good squads but with a good bit of hard work we can be right there with them. Next year should be very exciting.”

Keturah Buchanan photo courtesy of Eric Linsley