Women's Tennis
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – With his team preparing for the upcoming spring campaign after yet another successful fall, ninth-year Seton Hall tennis head coach Greg Wyzykowski has announced the addition of two international standouts in Anniek Jansen (Naarden, Netherlands) and Michal Matson (Christchurch, New Zealand) for the 2016-17 season.
“I am extremely pleased to be able to add two players, and people, of exceptional caliber in Anniek and Michal to our program,” said Wyzykowski. “These are two young ladies who understand what it takes to be successful against a high level of competition. They are both eager to get here and share a commitment to helping our program continue to move forward so I am excited to incorporate them with our current group beginning next fall.”
A product of Naarden in the North Holland region of the Netherlands, Jansen is a highly-experienced amateur who has been rated as high as no. 29 nationally in her age group. A champion of numerous district tournaments on both the singles and doubles court, Jansen has been recognized as a top performer by the Netherlands Olympic Committee * Netherlands Sports Confederation (NOC*NSC) since 2012.
“Anniek plays with some of the aggression that we are routinely working on in practice,” said Wyzykowski. “She is poised on the court and because she has been through so many matches, her skill set is very advanced in both doubles and singles so she could make an immediate impact in our lineup.”
A dual threat in her own right, Matson is well established as one of the premier youth players in New Zealand; boasting a resume that is replete with individual and team accolades. As a member of the varsity squad at Saint Andrews College HS, she has served as captain and helped lead the team to a pair of Variety National tennis titles since assuming the leadership role. A former U16 doubles national champion, Matson has also captained teams during regional competition and was selected to represent New Zealand at the most recent Oceania Championships.
“One of the things that stands out about Michal the enthusiasm she brings to everything she does,” Wyzykowski added. “She is a very talented player who will only continue to improve but she possesses a lot of the intangible qualities that often lead to success as well. She is the daughter of a professional rugby player and shares a similar toughness and determination that will only add to the mentality that we are working to cultivate within our team.”
Jansen and Matson are the latest commitments to a program that has reached previously unprecedented heights under Wyzykowski; due in no small part to the steady procession of international talent that has made its way to South Orange during his tenure.
Current senior Hannah Liljekvist (Djursholm, Sweden) joined former Pirate Chloe Sher, a native of Hong Kong, as the only Seton Hall players to earn All-BIG EAST honors in multiple years after taking home a second-straight selection last spring.
Throughout his time at Seton Hall, Wyzykowski has guided players from around the globe to similar success, bringing top youth talent from the likes of Russia, England, Turkey, Puerto Rico, Venezuela and Canada to South Orange.
Current Pirates Anicka Fajnorova (Bratislava, Slovakia), Isabell Klingert (Oberbalbach, Germany) and Luize Strike (Riga, Latvia) also hail from an international background but there has been no shortage of domestic standouts that have chosen to don the blue & white under Wyzykowski as well; including current team members Thandy Kangwa (Fort Myers, Fla.), Julia Keenan (Greenland, N.H.), Katie Kim (Honolulu, Hawaii) and Marisa Quevedo (Tyler, Texas).
The quartet features three underclassmen in Kangwa, Kim and Quevedo while Keenan is part of a trio of seniors along with Liljekvist and Klingert who are entering their final spring at The Hall.
The Pirates are slated to open the spring season on Saturday, January 23 at the NJIT Winter Invitational and are scheduled to make their home debut on Sunday, February 14 against Rutgers in New Providence, N.J.
The first match to be hosted at the brand-new Ivy Hill tennis courts adjacent to the university’s South Orange campus is set for Sunday, April 3 vs. LIU-Brooklyn.
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – With his team preparing for the upcoming spring campaign after yet another successful fall, ninth-year Seton Hall tennis head coach Greg Wyzykowski has announced the addition of two international standouts in Anniek Jansen (Naarden, Netherlands) and Michal Matson (Christchurch, New Zealand) for the 2016-17 season.
“I am extremely pleased to be able to add two players, and people, of exceptional caliber in Anniek and Michal to our program,” said Wyzykowski. “These are two young ladies who understand what it takes to be successful against a high level of competition. They are both eager to get here and share a commitment to helping our program continue to move forward so I am excited to incorporate them with our current group beginning next fall.”
A product of Naarden in the North Holland region of the Netherlands, Jansen is a highly-experienced amateur who has been rated as high as no. 29 nationally in her age group. A champion of numerous district tournaments on both the singles and doubles court, Jansen has been recognized as a top performer by the Netherlands Olympic Committee * Netherlands Sports Confederation (NOC*NSC) since 2012.
“Anniek plays with some of the aggression that we are routinely working on in practice,” said Wyzykowski. “She is poised on the court and because she has been through so many matches, her skill set is very advanced in both doubles and singles so she could make an immediate impact in our lineup.”
A dual threat in her own right, Matson is well established as one of the premier youth players in New Zealand; boasting a resume that is replete with individual and team accolades. As a member of the varsity squad at Saint Andrews College HS, she has served as captain and helped lead the team to a pair of Variety National tennis titles since assuming the leadership role. A former U16 doubles national champion, Matson has also captained teams during regional competition and was selected to represent New Zealand at the most recent Oceania Championships.
“One of the things that stands out about Michal the enthusiasm she brings to everything she does,” Wyzykowski added. “She is a very talented player who will only continue to improve but she possesses a lot of the intangible qualities that often lead to success as well. She is the daughter of a professional rugby player and shares a similar toughness and determination that will only add to the mentality that we are working to cultivate within our team.”
Jansen and Matson are the latest commitments to a program that has reached previously unprecedented heights under Wyzykowski; due in no small part to the steady procession of international talent that has made its way to South Orange during his tenure.
Current senior Hannah Liljekvist (Djursholm, Sweden) joined former Pirate Chloe Sher, a native of Hong Kong, as the only Seton Hall players to earn All-BIG EAST honors in multiple years after taking home a second-straight selection last spring.
Throughout his time at Seton Hall, Wyzykowski has guided players from around the globe to similar success, bringing top youth talent from the likes of Russia, England, Turkey, Puerto Rico, Venezuela and Canada to South Orange.
Current Pirates Anicka Fajnorova (Bratislava, Slovakia), Isabell Klingert (Oberbalbach, Germany) and Luize Strike (Riga, Latvia) also hail from an international background but there has been no shortage of domestic standouts that have chosen to don the blue & white under Wyzykowski as well; including current team members Thandy Kangwa (Fort Myers, Fla.), Julia Keenan (Greenland, N.H.), Katie Kim (Honolulu, Hawaii) and Marisa Quevedo (Tyler, Texas).
The quartet features three underclassmen in Kangwa, Kim and Quevedo while Keenan is part of a trio of seniors along with Liljekvist and Klingert who are entering their final spring at The Hall.
The Pirates are slated to open the spring season on Saturday, January 23 at the NJIT Winter Invitational and are scheduled to make their home debut on Sunday, February 14 against Rutgers in New Providence, N.J.
The first match to be hosted at the brand-new Ivy Hill tennis courts adjacent to the university’s South Orange campus is set for Sunday, April 3 vs. LIU-Brooklyn.
