WAYNESBURG, Pa. (August 22) – The Waynesburg University women's tennis team returns an experienced lineup for the 2025-26 season.

The Yellow Jackets begin their campaign on Aug. 31 at home against Penn State Altoona.
 
2024 Season Review: The Jackets notched a pair of nonconference wins over La Roche and Carlow last season and finished ninth in the Presidents' Athletic Conference standings.
 
"The girls took another step towards some things we would like to accomplish as a program," said fourth-year head coach Randy Pettit. "There were some tight matches that we came up short.  We are hoping to be on the other side of those tight matches this year."
 
Waynesburg also had three narrow 4-3 defeats against Carlow, Thiel and Mount Aloysius.
 
The Jackets bid farewell to their lone senior, Claire Lace, and return virtually their entire lineup for the 2025 campaign.
 
2025 PAC Preseason Poll: The Jackets were picked eighth in the preseason coaches' poll.
 
School (first-place votes) - Points - 2024-25 record (conference)
1. Allegheny College (8) - 64 - 18-8 (8-0 PAC)
2. Grove City College (1) - 55 - 11-5 (7-1 PAC)
3. Franciscan University - 48 - 10-11 (4-4 PAC)
4. Washington & Jefferson College - 39 - 7-8 (4-4 PAC)
5. Saint Vincent College - 37 - 18-4 (5-3 PAC)
6. Westminster College - 31 - 8-4 (5-3 PAC)
7. Geneva College - 26 - 8-7 (2-6 PAC)
8. Waynesburg University - 13 - 2-12 (0-8 PAC)
9. Thiel College - 11 - 2-12 (1-7 PAC)
 
Key Returners: Waynesburg returns six players that started at least 12 of the team's 14 matches last season.
 
"I appreciate this roster and the girls we have on it," said Pettit. "We will be leaning on our returners a lot this year, and the court time they got last year will go a long way."
 
Junior Julia Luzar (Washington, Pa. / Trinity) played at No. 1 singles and doubles in all 14 matches last season. She pushed singles matchups into third sets or tiebreakers against La Roche, Carlow and Thiel.
 
Sophomore Julia Umshares (Washington, Pa. / Trinity) started 13 matches at second singles and teamed with Luzar in all 14 matches at the top doubles flight. She notched straight set singles victories against La Roche and Carlow.
 
Senior Julia Corey (Eighty Four, Pa. / Ringgold) ranked second on the roster with five singles wins at the No. 3 spot. She won three-straight matches in the fall season and closed the year with back-to-back wins against Mount Aloysius and Carlow. Corey also tied for second on the team with a hand in two doubles wins at No. 2 doubles.
 
Junior Karly Starcher (Williamston, W. Va. / St. Mary's) started every match at fourth singles and appeared in 11 doubles matchups. She earned a singles win against La Roche and teamed with Corey for a doubles win at Carlow.
 
Senior Alli Bailey (Mount Pleasant, Pa. / Mount Pleasant) led the Jackets with six singles wins, all at No. 5 singles, including PAC victories over Saint Vincent and Thiel.
 
Senior Aubrey Burns (Kittanning, Pa. / Armstrong) finished third on the roster with three wins at No. 6 singles. Burns and Bailey teamed at third doubles for a team-high four wins, including a conference victory over Thiel.
 
Newcomers: Waynesburg adds three newcomers to the team for the 2025-26 season, including Celeste Matsaudza (Boksburg, South Africa / St Dominic's Catholic School), who comes to the Jackets from South Africa.
 
"We have some new faces that we are excited to have join us this year," said Pettit. "Celeste is such a joy to be around, and we are excited to have her. Taylor Stephens is also new to the program as well and will contribute early to the program.  We are excited to have Mackenzie Gower join us this year too as we continue to build this program."
 
Looking at the Schedule: The PAC women's tennis conference schedule and tournament are played in the fall. League play begins at Franciscan on Sept. 11 and concludes at home against Washington & Jefferson on Oct. 10.
 
The top six teams in the conference standings advance to the PAC Tournament. The tournament champion will secure the PAC's automatic qualifying bid to the NCAA Division III Women's Tennis Championships in the spring.
 
Nine of Waynesburg's 13 matches will be played at the Bechtle Family Tennis Facility.
 
Last Word: "Just as we stated last year, we are looking to take another step forward with this program," said Pettit. "Our mix of veterans and newcomers will be driving us to accomplish those goals."