A season of firsts

It was a season of firsts for the Husky women's tennis team. The No. 12 Huskies finished their season in the quarterfinals of the NCAA championships, the highest finish for the women's tennis team ever. Two doubles teams went on to compete in the doubles championships and two Huskies competed in the singles championships as well.

The season, which ended on a high note for the Huskies, also began well. The Huskies played in the Pac-10 indoor championships in January, where sophomore Darija Klaic made it to the final round of singles competition. The Huskies were also invited to play in the prestigious USTA/ITA National Women's Championships in February.

The regular season was off to a fast start as well. The Huskies beat California in January. The 6-3 victory over Cal, the Huskies first in Berkeley, left the team with a great feeling about the rest of the season.

"I think I had a feeling that this team would do great things after beating Cal," said senior Kristina Kraszewski. "That was a huge milestone for this team. I knew we could accomplish anything after that."

The success only continued as the season progressed. April was a good month for the Huskies. They accomplished their second all-time victory over Arizona State University with a 4-3 decision. Then, in another first for the team, they defeated UCLA 4-3.

"It's been a season with a lot of firsts for us this season," said freshman Claire Carter. "There have been so many great memories, and it was an excellent year."

The biggest first that the Huskies experienced was hosting the first and second rounds of the NCAA championships.

They defeated both Army and Illinois to make it to the NCCA championships in Stone Mountain, Ga. The UW made it as far as the quarterfinals before being defeated by Florida.

Kraszewski and Carter made it to the third round in the singles competition and the two UW doubles teams, composed of Kraszewski and Klaic and Carter and junior Ilona Kordonskaya, competed in the first round. Overall, the Huskies had their most successful bid at the NCAAs ever.

"I believe that the biggest highlight of the season was NCAAs," Kraszewski said. "It was great to see the team pull together as much as they had. I don't think I will ever forget that experience."

However, the Huskies had many other successes over the season. McCain was named as the Pac-10 coach of the year and both Carter and Kraszweski were awarded Pac-10 honors.

"A big mention has to go to Patty and (assistant coach) Jill (Hultquist)," Carter said. "They turned this program completely around in four years. They are two of the best coaches in the country."

McCain, who gave birth to a daughter May 23 and was unable to travel with the team to the NCAAs, also credits Hultquist with helping the team out.

"Jill stepped in for Patty ... like a head coach," Carter said. "She has turned down offers from other schools for head coach positions and stayed here. She is a great coach."

All of the firsts that the Husky women's tennis team experienced this season have left the team with many memories.

"We set so many goals at the beginning of the season and we met them all," Carter said. "It was a lot of fun, there were so many highlights."

"I never dreamed that the team would accomplish this at much at the beginning of the year," Kraszewski said. "I will definitely miss UW. I will miss my team. These four years have been a wonderful experience."

With an extremely successful season behind them, the Huskies have an optimistic attitude about the upcoming season.

"Having us all go as a team (to the NCAAs) gave us a lot of confidence for next year," Carter said. "We will set goals and make them achievable like this year. I'm really looking forward to next year."