April 26, 2006

Garden City, N.Y. - Junior Melissa Kutner was right, the tennis team had finally caught its break. After three changes in head coach positions in the past two years, as well as seniors graduating from the team, junior Leah Moore was a huge asset to acquire for the Fall 2005 season.

With a younger, stronger, and more focused roster, women's tennis took the conference by surprise and placed second overall. Not only did the results improve from the year before but under the direction of Head Coach Marcelino Reynoso there was a new sense of camaraderie and team spirit among the players. Not only did Moore add depth to the team at #6 singles, but she was really put to the test playing at the #1 doubles position. Moore and sophomore Claudia Nunez teamed up for seven different conference matches and only lost two of them. It truly is amazing to think that a transfer, not even a walk-on, but a spur of the moment tryout would turn out to play such an integral part of the team's successful fall 2005 season.

Being a new transfer student at a heavily commuter populated university is hard enough as it is. Try moving from sunny Florida to Long Island, not knowing anyone, having any friends, or even living on campus. Leaving the University of Florida was a huge step for junior tennis player Moore. USF is known as the second largest university in the southeast and is among the top twenty largest in the country. The number one location for students transferring from another college, according to U.S. News & World Report, is the University of South Florida.

Transferring from a college with over 40,000 students to Adelphi University would be quite a challenge for anyone, however going to a small college is exactly what Moore was looking for. "You feel like you are just a number, and the professors don't even know you," Leah comments, "And that just makes it even harder to focus on schoolwork". Moore never felt like she played a part in her university, let alone be known by her peers. At Adelphi Moore is a physical education major and plans to become a community program developer. She adds "I like it at Adelphi, its cozy in a sense; you feel safe and welcomed all the time and you never feel like just another person in the crowd".

Moore began attending Adelphi Fall Semester 2005, just before the women's tennis season kicked off. She was in class one day when someone asked her if she played on any team at Adelphi, she kindly replied that she has just transferred and had never even played any intercollegiate sport. They got to talking about what sports they like to play and watch when her new acquaintance told her about the women's tennis team. Moore says that she "was really hesitant at first and didn't know how to go about contacting the coach or any players on the team, but a friend of mine kept encouraging me to do it everyday, until I did". All the rest of the team knew was that she transferred from Florida and had never played tennis on a highly competitive level. Already the outcast of the team before she was even on it, Moore mad a lasting impression with the coach and the team from the very first practice session. She proved herself and became one of the girls instantly. "We were all skeptical from the get go just because we had never even met her, let alone seen her play," says Missy Kutner, junior on the team, "after the first week of practice we knew we had gotten really lucky with the addition of Leah to the team".

Moore finished her season with a tremendous run all the way to the finals of the 2005 NYCAC Individual Flight Championships, where she fell to Lavinia Voicu, from Queens College. Moore, with doubles partner Nunez, advanced to the semifinals before losing to Chang and Bajuk of Queens College, who went on to beat Concordia in the final, as well. Moore showed a valiant effort by playing two singles and two doubles matches the very same day without much rest time in between. "I was so impressed to see Leah step her game up," remarks Head Coach Reynoso, "especially with the pressure of playing with more experienced veteran players". However, just as important as Moore's triumphant rookie season is her outstanding academic achievements as well.

Moore juggled moving from a different state, a new roommate, new teammates, new friends, playing a collegiate sport for the first time, and fifteen credits her first semester at Adelphi. She seemed to have excellent juggling skills when she earned herself a perfect 4.0 GPA in the fall. Moore has no intentions of slowing down her success. She is taking another 15 credits this semester and has several matches to look forward to this spring. What more could the tennis team ask for in a shining example of hard work, determination, perseverance, humbleness and talent? The next season should be just as rewarding for returning singles and doubles player Moore. Make sure you keep your eyes open because there's a lot `Moore' where that came from.

Claudia Nunez is a sophomore on the women's tennis team.