POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (August 15, 2012) – The Vassar College women's tennis team enters the 2012-13 season after accumulating many accomplishments having finished last year ranked eighth in the ITA Northeast Region and 20th nationally.

The ITA Northeast Region is comprised up of 110 teams while the national ranking is out of 380 Division III programs. The Brewers took a jump from the previous years national ranking, improving from the 26th spot.

The team qualified for the NCAA Championship and advanced to the round of 16 for only the second time in program history. Last year was the program's 17th consecutive ITA All-Academic Team Award-Winner, finishing with a 3.2 (or higher) GPA.

Six players earned ITA Scholar-Athlete Awards with a GPA of 3.5 or higher. Those players were:
• Jennifer Beckerman
• Samantha Schapiro
• Joy Backer
• Jennifer Ruther
• Natalie Santiago
• Hannah Van Demark

The Brewers piled on the individual awards with Beckerman who led the way with a ninth place ranking in the Northeast Region and 31st nationally. Beckerman, a senior last year, earned the Liberty League's Player of the Year and All-Liberty League Singles and doubles honors. She also took home two Liberty League Performer of the Week titles. She was the No. 1 singles champion at the Seven Sisters Championship and named to the All-Tournament team.

Beckerman competed against ranked players at the sixth, 12th, 19th, 30th, 32nd, and 45th spots. She went undefeated in league play (6-0 singles, 7-0 doubles) and Northeast play (12-0 singles, 8-0 doubles). She finished 15-3 (15-2 DIII) at No. 1 singles and 11-4 (11-3 DIII) in doubles with a 10-4 record at No. 2 doubles.

Beckerman also made the All-Liberty League Doubles Team with teammate, Schapiro. The pair went 11-3 in dual matches in the spring with a 10-3 record at the No. 2 position. They also went undefeated in league competition with a perfect 7-0 record.
Following Beckerman last season was freshman Ava Sadeghi. Sadeghi earned ITA All-American honors. She posted two Liberty League Rookie of the Week honors and also a league Performer of the Week selection. Sadeghi made Vassar history being the first player in school history to win the ITA Northeast Region Singles Championship and qualify for ITA National Small College Championships.

Sadeghi competed against opponents ranked first, second, third, fifth, 18th, 20th, and 27th throughout the year. She was undefeated in league play with a 7-0 record and went 26-7 overall with six of those losses coming from top-10 players in the fall. She also was on the All Liberty League Singles Unanimous Selection.

The program's recruiting class for the incoming class of 2016 earned the number 20 ranking spot in Division III by Tennis Recruiting.net for the second consecutive year.  Three players comprise the incoming class:  Lauren Stauffer from Lancaster, PA, Winnie Yeates from New Orleans, LA and Kelsey Van Noy from Houston, TX.

The Brewers open the Fall season competing at the Lindsay Morehouse Invite at Williams College on September 8-9.