Susan Bednar Kirby came to University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in the fall of 1982, a time of tremendous transition for the Mocs women's tennis program.  The seniors who had just graduated were the last of three AIAW national title winners from 1977-79 and Chattanooga was moving on to NCAA Division II.

Despite all of this change, UTC was still among the best programs in the country under legendary head coach Tommy Bartlett.  All of the talent on the roster made it tough for the highly-touted recruit from East Windsor, New Jersey, to break into the lineup.  When she did, it was a championship impact. 

As expected, the Mocs rolled through the regular season in 1983, and advanced to the eight-team National Championships in Pomona, Calif.  When the Mocs arrived for competition in early May, fellow freshman and No. 5 player Lori Massengill fell ill and could not play.  That's when Kirby stepped in and had an outstanding performance.

In the opening round against Cal Poly (SLO), Kirby teamed with Cathy Tanzini for a (6-4, 6-1) win at No. 3 doubles.  She also defeated Amy Jarvis (6-3, 6-2) at No. 6 singles in the 9-0 team win. 

She had two more wins in the Mocs' 7-2 victory against Northern Colorado in the semifinals.  Both were three-setters at No. 3 doubles and No. 6 singles. 

Her best performance of the tournament probably came in the finals against UC Davis.  With Massengill back in at doubles, Kirby scored one of only two singles wins for Chattanooga.  She posted a (6-4, 6-2) victory against Sue Freeman to help the Mocs clinch the title with a 5-4 win.

"Tommy had such a great vision for the program," stated Kirby.  "He had us play a Division I schedule during the year, so when we played against Division II teams we were ready."

"It was a lot of fun to travel and be on such a dominant team.  We almost took the winning for granted, but looking back, we were a really solid Division II program."   

Solid might be an understatement for the Mocs during that period.  UTC would go on to win three-straight NCAA Division II titles from 1983-85 and three consecutive Southern Conference Championships from 1984-86. 

Kirby was an integral part of each one of those teams.  She won two SoCon singles titles and a doubles championship during her career. 

"Going to the Nationals with the same group of girls was special," added Kirby.  "It was three years of togetherness."

One of the biggest things they loved doing together was beating Tennessee.  In fact, they did it twice.  The first was a 7-2 win in Knoxville in her sophomore season on Feb. 16, 1984.  They did it again in her junior year, this time winning 6-3 on Nov. 4, 1984.  Coincidentally, the Mocs and Vols would not play again until 2014.

"It was always fun beating Furman, but beating UT Knoxville was a big deal to our team," recalled Kirby.

Kirby's contributions to that era have earned her induction into the UTC Athletics Hall of Fame.  She and the rest of the Class of 2016 will be inducted during the annual ceremonies at the Hall of Fame Banquet on Friday, Feb. 19, at the Chattanooga Country Club. 

"It feels nice to be recognized as a part of a very successful team" said Kirby when learning of her induction.  "It is the true concept of a team.  I was never at the top but at the end of the day, every win counts the same and makes a difference in the team outcome."

The banquet is open to the public, but seating is limited and reservations are required. The cost is $35.00 per person which includes dinner. Payments and RSVP's can be submitted to the UTC Office of Alumni Affairs at (423) 425-4785.  For more information, email Jayne-Holder@utc.edu.