A deep roster is keeping the optimism high around the Central College women’s tennis team entering its 2021 fall campaign. Entering his eighth season at Central, coach Ryun Ferrell has five starters and 16 letterwinners returning from 2020. The squad enters fall camp next week with a total of 21 players thanks to five incoming freshmen. The Dutch are coming off a 6-6 season where they finished third in the American Rivers Conference with a 5-3 mark.

The only member of the starting lineup not to return for Central is Karleigh Schilling, a four-year player in the No. 1 singles spot. Schilling won 34 singles matches in four years and was named the team MVP four times. The two primary contenders for that leading role are seniors Bronwyn Metcalf and Alyssa Lewton. Metcalf was 3-5 at No. 2 and Lewton was 6-3 at No. 3 last season.

Maddie Hartley is another name to watch for near the top of the lineup after a dominant 8-1 record last year in the No. 4 hole.

There are plenty of options to fill out the second half of the Dutch lineup. Seniors Katie Larson and Sarah Schirm are more seasoned options as Larson was 3-5 primarily at No. 5 and Schirm was 6-2 primarily at No. 6 a year ago.

Ferrell also cites juniors Macy Scharff and Alex Griggs as well as sophomores Brianna Lindstrom, Alli Kreider and Jenna Hernandez as strong contenders. The plethora of returning letterwinners for Ferrell also includes juniors Ashlynn Brant and Madie Holle and sophomores Paige Farrell, Leah Gilbertson, Laramie O’Sullivan and Karsyn Stalzer.