Feb. 28, 2008

Story by Marcia Frost and photos by John Gwillum. Compliments of Tennis.com.

My friend Erica Perkins has been inviting me to come to Michigan State University for some time. I finally took her up on her offer last week and got to check out this Division I program up close.

Coach Perkins is in her second year in charge of the women's team at MSU, but she certainly doesn't lack experience. A former top player at Washington State University, she was previously the top coach at Georgia Southern and an assistant at William & Mary. At Michigan State, she is assisted by Stefan Naughton, a New Zealand native who doesn't seem to mind being the only male around.

The Spartans team is a young one with six freshman -- Kathryn Bonnen, Lindsey Lonergan, Michelle Murphy, Manon Noe, Whitney Wilson and Ally Wickman. (Ally had actually started her college tennis career at Syracuse, but was a bit homesick for her native Michigan and made her way here for the spring semester.) Juniors Marianne Eelens, Stephanie Kebler (above) and Ana Milosavljevic (below), bring a bit of experience to the group and lone senior Christine Bader (left) captains the group with the help of Stephanie.

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