NEWTON, Mass. – Maybe it's the fact that their last match played was in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) tournament that has the Mount Ida College women's tennis team ready to work as they prepare for the 2015 season.

Coming off a postseason appearance for the first time since 2012, the team is taking on a new attitude, according to Head Coach Isaac Stahl.

"The girls are starting to see that they can make this team what they want it to be. They see the potential for continued growth moving forward, and no one is dragging their feet," said Stahl, in his second season with the program, which was picked sixth in a preseason poll conducted among GNAC coaches, meaning they would earn a repeat trip to the postseason.

Stahl also lauded the work of his captains, junior Danielle Barnabe (Warwick, R.I.) and sophomore Rebecca Levy (Plymouth, Mass.), for helping the team to establish a clean slate and shake off the hangover from some seasons where the program underachieved.

Levy has experience playing at the number one singles position last year, and Stahl says she is already talking about how to better adjust to some of the opponents she played in her freshman season.

"We're going to be much more competitive, especially at the top of our lineup," said her coach. "We are returning Becca having played number one and having had success there. She's looking to build off of last season, and now she's more familiar with the league and with the level of competition."

Also working hard in camp this year are sophomore Yuliana Chairez (Waltham, Mass.) and senior Rose Schneider (Lowell, Mass.), who secured an important point at singles last year to help the Mustangs defeat Albertus Magnus and clinch their tournament position.

Joining them will be freshman Jenna Jarman (Auburn, Mass.), an experienced high school player who has great form and a powerful stroke, according to her coach.

Stahl recognizes the sacrifices and the responsibility that he is asking of his players, particularly because of the short squad, which will look to add more depth before the season begins. He says that the biggest strength will be the team's togetherness, willingness to work, and shared investment in growing the program.

"We're on our way to a championship level. We're not there yet, but we have all of the pieces in place and are starting to develop a winning attitude. We are actively changing that culture, and I think that's going to be evident this season. Last year we got our GNAC win and we got into the playoffs. We want to build on that and there's no reason we're not going to.

Women's tennis opens their season with five straight home matches, beginning with the season opener on September 1^st against Eastern Nazarene, and concluding on September 26^th with their first GNAC match of the year, against visiting Anna Maria.