The Deacon Classic lived up to its name as two Wake Forest women's tennis players battled it out for the singles championship. The tournament, held from Oct. 4-6 at Leighton Stadium, also featured competitors from Appalachian State, Charlotte, Georgia State, Tennessee Tech, UNC- Greensboro, Virginia, Virginia Tech, William & Mary and Winthrop.

Deacon sophomore Katie Martzolf, currently ranked 75th in the nation, was the top seed in the tournament. Martzolf cruised through the first three rounds of the Flight A bracket, featuring the top players. In the final, however, Martzolf ran into teammate and fellow sophomore Karin Coetzee, the No. 4 seed in the tournament.

"It was hard to go out there and play my teammate. We play each other every day," Martzolf said. "She knows my game better than (players from other schools)."

Martzolf and Coetzee battled hard in the final. In the end, Coetzee was able to fend off her teammate for the upset, 7-6(4), 6-3.

"It just came down to a few points during the match and I was fortunate enough to win those," Coetzee said. "I'm glad to have played well enough to win this flight. It was tough to play a teammate, but I'm pleased to have survived the weekend."

Martzolf was also pleased with her teammate. "It was such a strange feeling after the match," she said. "I was happy to see her win the match, just as I am when she wins any other match. After all, she is my teammate, and I want her to do well."

Coach Brian Fleishman was understandably pleased with the performances of Coetzee and Martzolf.

"Karin and Katie showed me that they will push each other this season and both are quite capable of playing at the top spot on the team," Fleishman said. "Both girls are Top 50 players. They can compete with any of the top players in the country."

Coetzee and Martzolf also represented the Deacons well in doubles. Martzolf and her partner, sophomore Danielle Schwartz, finished second, falling to Megan Muth and Amy Wei of William & Mary, 8-1. Coetzee and her partner, junior Aimee Smith, were defeated in the semifinals by Muth and Wei, but defeated the Tribe's Nina Kamp and Lena Sherbakov, 9-8(1) for third place. This gave the Deacons two pairs placings in the top three.

In the singles Flight B, Elizabeth Proctor, barely missed giving the Deacs another first place finish, losing a hard-fought final in three sets.

"All of the girls are capable and willing to step up and compete at a high level," Fleishman said of the depth that was on display from his team. "All of the girls want to play the best competition possible."

The season does not begin until February, but preseason tournaments like the Deacon Classic are important as preparation.

"Confidence is one of the top priorities in women's tennis," Fleishman said. "I think this past weekend did a lot of good in building individual confidence and team confidence."

Coetzee agreed: "I think this tournament has helped our whole team's confidence. This year, I think, we will all step up and play well during the season's matches and play as a team. We are all trying to improve every time we step on the court and the preseason events help us to do so in preparation for our spring season."

Although the team lost defending NCAA champion Bea Bielik, who turned professional after her junior season, the 8th-ranked Deacons expect another strong season.

"I am not asking any of the girls to fill Bea's shoes," Fleishman said. "What I am asking of the girls is to continue to work hard on and off the court. I want all of the players to improve on weaknesses in their games and to make the dean's list this semester. The best thing about these girls is that they are not afraid to work hard and being pushed to their limits. We will be ready for the season that awaits us."

Coetzee said, "We're a young team, but I think we can improve enough in the next few months to have a good season and accomplish our goals."

"We should have a great season," Martzolf said. "Everybody is working extremely hard. This will pay off when the spring season comes."