Colorado State University Athletics
Season review: Rams conclude 2016-17 with most wins since 2011
5/3/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Season Review (PDF) / Statistics / Record Book
RAMS EARN MOST WINS SINCE 2011
During Jarod Camerota's debut season, the Rams won nine spring matches, their highest total since 2011.
"It's exciting," Camerota said. "We wish we would have gotten a couple Mountain West victories, but it's exciting and shows that we're on the right path. I've really enjoyed this season, and these girls are people I really enjoy being around."
Other season highlights included back-to-back road wins in March (defeating Creighton and Omaha, both in Omaha) and back-to-back home wins in April (over IUPUI and South Dakota). The back-to-back victories over Creighton and Omaha marked the first time CSU has won consecutive matches away from Fort Collins since 2014.
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SENIOR SHOUTOUT
Two CSU players suited up in the Green and Gold for the final time at the Mountain West Championship, concluding their stellar collegiate careers.
Celine Voss, a native of Germany who moved to Fort Collins as a foreign-exchange student in high school, has 18 career singles wins and 28 doubles victories to her name. In 2015, she won at both singles and doubles - including the match-clincher - in CSU's win over nationally ranked New Mexico. Last year, the business administration major was named Academic All-Mountain West. Following graduation, she is planning on moving back to Germany.
Madison Porter was a transfer from New Mexico, who returned to her native state to play for the Rams. Over the past three seasons, she compiled 35 singles wins and 37 doubles victories. She is a three time Academic All-MW recipient and has twice been recognized as a MW Scholar-Athlete. She is obtaining her degree in health and exercise science and plans to attend Life Chiropractic College in San Francisco this fall.
"Madison and Celine are first-class role models for our program," Camerota said of his two seniors. "They do things right, they're on time, they get good grades, they're good citizens. They set a standard of how things are done and are the first ones to ask for extra reps or help. If everyone did as much as they do, on and off the court, we'll be in good shape moving forward."
BRIGHT FUTURE AHEAD
CSU racked up its most wins since 2011 and the future of the program looks to be even brighter. Of the seven players on its roster, five are underclassmen, including four freshman who were playing high school tennis a year ago. CSU's top-four singles competitors have generally consisted of a sophomore and three freshmen.
"It's exciting, but talent only gets you so far if you don't put in the work and have the right attitude," Camerota said. "I think we have a lot of good pieces, but we have to keep moving forward."
PORTER EARNS COMMUNITY SERVICE HONORS
Rams' senior Madison Porter was named to the All-Mountain West Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) Community Service Team in March. The conference, in an effort to recognize the accomplishments of student-athletes beyond the field of competition, named one athlete from each institution who goes above and beyond to help promote and participate in community service initiatives. Porter is also a three-time Academic All-Mountain West honoree and two-time Mountain West Scholar-Athlete.Â
STEEP COMPETITION
CSU played some high-level competition this season, including several ranked teams. The Rams' three losses between Feb. 19 and March 4 came against Nebraska (who peaked at No. 39), No. 40 FIU (now No. 37) and No. 46 UNLV.
Individually, sophomore Emily Kolbow upset Boise State's Anja Dokic in March (currently No. 115). Additionally, she has faced UNLV's Carol Zi Yang (No. 41) and FIU's Andrea Lazaro (No. 44).
CAMEROTA EARNS FIRST VICTORY
CSU earned a split Jan. 28-29, beating Milwaukee before falling to Wisconsin of the Big Ten. Despite playing on the road, CSU had more than 50 fans at both matches, playing in the home state of head coach Jarod Camerota and sophomore Emily Kolbow, and nearby several other current, future and former Rams.
"We appreciate the tremendous support all weekend," Camerota said. "It's great to see how much fan support we have all across the country. We learned and grew from this weekend."
CSU's win over Milwaukee was the first for Camerota, who is in his first season leading the Rams. Overall, all seven players won either their singles or doubles match against Milwaukee, with Kolbow winning both.
FALL REWIND
The Rams competed in four fall tournaments from September-November, allowing the four freshmen to adjust to the college game and for the entire team to jell together under first-year head coach Jarod Camerota. During the fall, the Rams used 15 different doubles lineups, leaning heavily on the veteran duo of seniors Madison Porter and Celine Voss (3-1). In singles action, freshman Riley Reeves proved to be a great addition to the Rams' roster, picking up six victories, with several coming from the No. 3 post.Â
"On the last day of the fall, the final day at UNLV, I think the light turned on in our heads that we can be a good team," Camerota said. "We are a young team, but that's exciting."
CAMEROTA AT THE HELM
For the first time in 31 seasons, the Colorado State tennis program is under a new direction. Longtime coach Jon Messick retired following the 2015-16 season, and over the summer, Jarod Camerota - his assistant during his final year - was named the head coach.
"We are excited to have Jarod remain at Colorado State, where he made an immediate impact during his time as assistant coach," director of athletics Joe Parker said at the time of his hiring. "Throughout our national search, it become evident that Jarod had the ability to not only relate to our current student-athletes but also recruit talented players who will become the next wave of our tennis program.
Prior to his one season at CSU, Camerota was an assistant at Northern Arizona (2014-15), helping the Lumberjacks to a fourth-place finish and a semifinals berth in the Big Sky Conference championship. Before NAU, he spent two seasons (2012-14) as a tennis pro at Northwestern. Camerota has previous head coaching experience, as well, holding three head coaching jobs. From 2005-07, he was the head men's and women's tennis coach at Jacksonville University, followed by a stint as the men's tennis coach at Georgia State from 2007-09, and three years (2009-12) as the head men's and women's tennis coach at Mars Hill College.
MEDLIN JOINS STAFF
After being named head coach, one of Camerota's first objectives was completing his coaching staff. He did that by bringing in Erica Medlin.
"Erica was my first choice, even before I got the job," Camerota said. "I hired her because of her maturity and ability to coach, and she has incredible loyalty. She was also a great player, but that's secondary to her being a great coach and a hard worker."Â
Medlin came to CSU after one season (2015-16) as the assistant coach for Northern Arizona. During her stint in Flagstaff, Medlin helped the Lumberjacks to a Big Sky regular-season championship and runner-up finish in the conference tournament. Four of her players earned All-Big Sky honors, with the top doubles team ranking No. 81 nationally. She is a former collegiate tennis player, spending two years at San José State and her final two seasons at Northern Iowa. As a senior in 2015, Medlin was named the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year. She also earned two All-WAC honors as SJSU, helping the Spartans to their first-ever NCAA appearance.
INK DRYING
The CSU tennis staff announced In November the signings of three athletes. The trio of Emma Corwin, Emily Luetschwager and Priscilla Palermo signed on the first day of the early signing period and all are four-star recruits according to TennisRecruiting.net.Â
"All three are really good students, good kids and good competitors on the court, and we think they'll bring a lot to our program," Camerota said about the trio who signed in November and will join the program in the fall. "They're good players, but they're hungry and want to get better. I see a lot of potential for each of them to grow."
The CSU tennis program had the highest team grade-point average of any CSU team in 2015-16, with all seven letterwinners earning Academic All-Mountain West honors. Additionally, for the seventh season in a row, the Rams' entire program earned a cumulative team GPA above 3.20 to earn ITA Academic Team honors, with four student-athletes being named ITA Scholar-Athletes. Included in the group is senior Madison Porter, who is a three-time Academic All-MW recipient and two-time ITA Scholar-Athlete.
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RAMS EARN MOST WINS SINCE 2011
During Jarod Camerota's debut season, the Rams won nine spring matches, their highest total since 2011.
"It's exciting," Camerota said. "We wish we would have gotten a couple Mountain West victories, but it's exciting and shows that we're on the right path. I've really enjoyed this season, and these girls are people I really enjoy being around."
Other season highlights included back-to-back road wins in March (defeating Creighton and Omaha, both in Omaha) and back-to-back home wins in April (over IUPUI and South Dakota). The back-to-back victories over Creighton and Omaha marked the first time CSU has won consecutive matches away from Fort Collins since 2014.
Â
SENIOR SHOUTOUT
Two CSU players suited up in the Green and Gold for the final time at the Mountain West Championship, concluding their stellar collegiate careers.
Celine Voss, a native of Germany who moved to Fort Collins as a foreign-exchange student in high school, has 18 career singles wins and 28 doubles victories to her name. In 2015, she won at both singles and doubles - including the match-clincher - in CSU's win over nationally ranked New Mexico. Last year, the business administration major was named Academic All-Mountain West. Following graduation, she is planning on moving back to Germany.
Madison Porter was a transfer from New Mexico, who returned to her native state to play for the Rams. Over the past three seasons, she compiled 35 singles wins and 37 doubles victories. She is a three time Academic All-MW recipient and has twice been recognized as a MW Scholar-Athlete. She is obtaining her degree in health and exercise science and plans to attend Life Chiropractic College in San Francisco this fall.
"Madison and Celine are first-class role models for our program," Camerota said of his two seniors. "They do things right, they're on time, they get good grades, they're good citizens. They set a standard of how things are done and are the first ones to ask for extra reps or help. If everyone did as much as they do, on and off the court, we'll be in good shape moving forward."
BRIGHT FUTURE AHEAD
CSU racked up its most wins since 2011 and the future of the program looks to be even brighter. Of the seven players on its roster, five are underclassmen, including four freshman who were playing high school tennis a year ago. CSU's top-four singles competitors have generally consisted of a sophomore and three freshmen.
"It's exciting, but talent only gets you so far if you don't put in the work and have the right attitude," Camerota said. "I think we have a lot of good pieces, but we have to keep moving forward."
PORTER EARNS COMMUNITY SERVICE HONORS
Rams' senior Madison Porter was named to the All-Mountain West Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) Community Service Team in March. The conference, in an effort to recognize the accomplishments of student-athletes beyond the field of competition, named one athlete from each institution who goes above and beyond to help promote and participate in community service initiatives. Porter is also a three-time Academic All-Mountain West honoree and two-time Mountain West Scholar-Athlete.Â
STEEP COMPETITION
CSU played some high-level competition this season, including several ranked teams. The Rams' three losses between Feb. 19 and March 4 came against Nebraska (who peaked at No. 39), No. 40 FIU (now No. 37) and No. 46 UNLV.
Individually, sophomore Emily Kolbow upset Boise State's Anja Dokic in March (currently No. 115). Additionally, she has faced UNLV's Carol Zi Yang (No. 41) and FIU's Andrea Lazaro (No. 44).
CAMEROTA EARNS FIRST VICTORY
CSU earned a split Jan. 28-29, beating Milwaukee before falling to Wisconsin of the Big Ten. Despite playing on the road, CSU had more than 50 fans at both matches, playing in the home state of head coach Jarod Camerota and sophomore Emily Kolbow, and nearby several other current, future and former Rams.
"We appreciate the tremendous support all weekend," Camerota said. "It's great to see how much fan support we have all across the country. We learned and grew from this weekend."
CSU's win over Milwaukee was the first for Camerota, who is in his first season leading the Rams. Overall, all seven players won either their singles or doubles match against Milwaukee, with Kolbow winning both.
FALL REWIND
The Rams competed in four fall tournaments from September-November, allowing the four freshmen to adjust to the college game and for the entire team to jell together under first-year head coach Jarod Camerota. During the fall, the Rams used 15 different doubles lineups, leaning heavily on the veteran duo of seniors Madison Porter and Celine Voss (3-1). In singles action, freshman Riley Reeves proved to be a great addition to the Rams' roster, picking up six victories, with several coming from the No. 3 post.Â
"On the last day of the fall, the final day at UNLV, I think the light turned on in our heads that we can be a good team," Camerota said. "We are a young team, but that's exciting."
CAMEROTA AT THE HELM
For the first time in 31 seasons, the Colorado State tennis program is under a new direction. Longtime coach Jon Messick retired following the 2015-16 season, and over the summer, Jarod Camerota - his assistant during his final year - was named the head coach.
"We are excited to have Jarod remain at Colorado State, where he made an immediate impact during his time as assistant coach," director of athletics Joe Parker said at the time of his hiring. "Throughout our national search, it become evident that Jarod had the ability to not only relate to our current student-athletes but also recruit talented players who will become the next wave of our tennis program.
Prior to his one season at CSU, Camerota was an assistant at Northern Arizona (2014-15), helping the Lumberjacks to a fourth-place finish and a semifinals berth in the Big Sky Conference championship. Before NAU, he spent two seasons (2012-14) as a tennis pro at Northwestern. Camerota has previous head coaching experience, as well, holding three head coaching jobs. From 2005-07, he was the head men's and women's tennis coach at Jacksonville University, followed by a stint as the men's tennis coach at Georgia State from 2007-09, and three years (2009-12) as the head men's and women's tennis coach at Mars Hill College.
MEDLIN JOINS STAFF
After being named head coach, one of Camerota's first objectives was completing his coaching staff. He did that by bringing in Erica Medlin.
"Erica was my first choice, even before I got the job," Camerota said. "I hired her because of her maturity and ability to coach, and she has incredible loyalty. She was also a great player, but that's secondary to her being a great coach and a hard worker."Â
Medlin came to CSU after one season (2015-16) as the assistant coach for Northern Arizona. During her stint in Flagstaff, Medlin helped the Lumberjacks to a Big Sky regular-season championship and runner-up finish in the conference tournament. Four of her players earned All-Big Sky honors, with the top doubles team ranking No. 81 nationally. She is a former collegiate tennis player, spending two years at San José State and her final two seasons at Northern Iowa. As a senior in 2015, Medlin was named the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year. She also earned two All-WAC honors as SJSU, helping the Spartans to their first-ever NCAA appearance.
INK DRYING
The CSU tennis staff announced In November the signings of three athletes. The trio of Emma Corwin, Emily Luetschwager and Priscilla Palermo signed on the first day of the early signing period and all are four-star recruits according to TennisRecruiting.net.Â
"All three are really good students, good kids and good competitors on the court, and we think they'll bring a lot to our program," Camerota said about the trio who signed in November and will join the program in the fall. "They're good players, but they're hungry and want to get better. I see a lot of potential for each of them to grow."
- About Corwin: Will be a 2017 graduate of Brookfield East High School in Brookfield, Wis. … Three-time Greater Metro Conference champion, winning as a freshman, sophomore and senior… As a senior in 2016, placed third at the Wisconsin state tournament… Helped her school to three consecutive conference championships, placing second at state as a junior in 2015… Was a four-time team MVP and three-year captain for the Spartans… High school coach was Linda Lied… Has been named to the honor roll each semester.
- About Luetschwager: Will be a 2017 graduate of Stevens Point Area Senior High School… Back-to-back Wisconsin Division I state champion in 2015 and 2016, also placing fifth in both 2013 and 2014 as a freshman and sophomore… Four-time Wisconsin Valley Conference first-team selection… Helped lead the Panthers to four conference titles, also earning four individual championships at No. 1 singles… Finished her prep career 130-5, never losing a conference match… Was a three-sport athlete, earning eight total letters in tennis, track & field and gymnastics… State qualifier in gymnastics in 2015… Captain in tennis and track & field… High school tennis coach was Gary Baier…. Three-time academic letterwinner, also earning the 2016 AP Scholar with Honor Award… Member of the National Honor Society.
- About Palermo: Will be a 2017 graduate of Glenbard East High School in Lombard, Ill. … Held a career prep record of 55-8, becoming the only player in her school's history to win sectionals (Chicago)… Ranked as the No. 13 player in the Midwest Region by TennisRecruiting.net… Earned all-state and team MVP honors as a freshman in 2014… Earned two varsity letters, only playing her freshman and sophomore seasons… High school coach was William Burt… Also trained under Tom Lockhart… Four-time honor student and member of the National Honor Society.
The CSU tennis program had the highest team grade-point average of any CSU team in 2015-16, with all seven letterwinners earning Academic All-Mountain West honors. Additionally, for the seventh season in a row, the Rams' entire program earned a cumulative team GPA above 3.20 to earn ITA Academic Team honors, with four student-athletes being named ITA Scholar-Athletes. Included in the group is senior Madison Porter, who is a three-time Academic All-MW recipient and two-time ITA Scholar-Athlete.
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Players Mentioned
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