Women's tennis opens season (and season outlook)

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FROM SMUMUSTANGS.COM:



SMU Women's Tennis Season Outlook

Mustangs Travel to Harvard, Brown This Weekend


Jan. 23, 2008

DALLAS (SMU)-- The 2007-08 women's tennis team is uniquely positioned to have a dynamic season. The Mustangs return four key players and add two talented transfers and two quality walk-ons.

"I'm excited about our upcoming spring season," said second-year head coach Lauren Longbotham-Meisner. "We worked very hard in the fall and we've seen some great improvement. The spring will be the time to watch it all come together."

In addition, Longbotham-Meisner has added another weapon to her arsenal in assistant coach Patrick Sullivan. Sullivan comes to the Hilltop from the University of Arkansas, where he served as an assistant coach for three years. During his tenure at Arkansas, four of his recruits achieved national rankings and the Razorbacks fielded the region's top-ranked singles player and two of the top-five doubles teams.

"Patrick has done so much for us in such a short amount of time," said Longbotham-Meisner. "I feel very fortunate to have him here at SMU."

The Mustangs will also have a new facility to call home, slated to open in February 2008.

The Mustangs return four veterans to the roster this spring in Kristen Reid, Natalia Bubien, Pavis Francis and Monica Neveklovska. Reid returns to the lineup after posting a 12-7 singles record last season at No. 6 and No. 5. She paired with Neveklovska at No. 3 doubles, reaching a mark of 15-5.

"Kristen has shown great improvement this fall," said Longbotham-Meisner. "She has regained her focus and determination. She enters the spring motivated and fit. Kristen has really stepped into a leadership role this season and I think she'll do very good things for us."

Bubien was a first-team All-Conference USA pick last season after playing No. 1 singles for most of last year. She posted an 11-8 record in dual meets and managed an 18-4 overall record in doubles. Bubien was honored once as a C-USA Player of the Week last season and earned spots on the C-USA All-Academic Team and the C-USA Commissioner's Honor Roll. This is Bubien's second season as a team co-captain and Longbotham-Meisner will look for Bubien to lead the Mustangs in the spring season.

"Natalia Bubien has all the potential to be a nationally-ranked player," said Longbotham-Meisner. "She worked hard this fall to improve her game. This spring will be the time for her to really step up and perform at the level we know she's capable of."

Francis saw time at the No. 3, 4 and 5 singles last season, but posted a 13-3 record at No. 4. Overall, Francis compiled a singles record of 19-5 in dual competition. She and her doubles partner went 15-8 in the No. 3 and No. 2 spots. Francis earned C-USA Player of the Week accolades once last season.

"Pavi Francis is one of the most talented athletes to come through this program in a long time," said Longbotham-Meisner. "She has the potential to be an All-American. Pavi is only limited by herself. I expect her to be a leader and play at the top of the lineup in both singles and doubles."

Neveklovska returns this season as the team co-captain. Last season, Neveklovska posted a singles record of 7-3 and rode a three-match win streak to conclude the season. She also paired with Reid to post a 15-5 record in doubles. Longbotham-Meisner expects her to play early in the line-up and contribute heavily, both in singles and doubles.

"Monica finally had a breakthrough this fall," said Longbotham-Meisner. "After two years of diligent work, Monica had a huge win over Texas and at Rice. I expect to see more of the same from her in the spring."

The Mustangs add two transfers this season in Nicole Briceno and Kseniia Tokarieva. Briceno comes to the Hilltop from the University of Alabama, where she posted an overall record of 18-17 in singles competition and 11-20 in doubles.

"Nicole Briceno has a fiery on-court presence," said Longbotham-Meisner. "Her SEC experience will be a component to her success here at SMU."

Tokarieva joins the Mustangs from the University of Mississippi, where she played for two seasons. Last year, Tokarieva was hampered by injuries for the early part of the season, but was able to bounce back at the end of the year and post several key wins, including one over No. 17 Megan Alexander in a dual match against Florida. Her freshman campaign was impressive, as Tokarieva compiled an overall singles record of 24-7, earning her SEC Freshman of the Year honors.

"We call Kseniia the `silent assassin'," said Longbotham-Meisner. "She has the capability to break down any opponent. She shows incredible poise and court presence. Kseniia reminds me strongly of former Mustang Svetlana Kouzmenko."

In addition, the Mustangs will welcome two walk-ons in Jessica Yanoff and Jordan Hamilton. Yanoff brings solid experience to the team, as one of the top junior players in the nation.

"Jessica will make an immediate impact in singles and doubles," said Longbotham-Meisner. "She's feisty and plays a good game. I look forward to seeing what she can add to the team."

Hamilton comes from a very athletic background. She was a two-year starter for her high school tennis team and also lettered in soccer and golf.

"Jordan is very athletic," said Longbotham-Meisner. I think she will impact the team this year."

The Mustangs can look forward to a tough schedule this spring as they open the season by traveling to New England to take on Harvard and Brown of the Ivy League on January 26 and 28. SMU then swings through Arlington, Texas to face UT-Arlington on January 31.

SMU then returns home to their brand-new facility to host Prairie View A&M on Feb. 2 and UTSA on Feb. 3 before embarking on another road trip, this time to face Oklahoma State in Edmond, Okla. on Feb. 9 and UT-Dallas on Feb. 10. The team then heads to the east coast to take on NC State and Duke Feb. 16-17.

The Ponies kick off conference play Feb. 23 as they host in-state C-USA foe Houston. After a quick trip to TCU, the Mustangs host an extended home-stand to include matches against Texas A&M Corpus Christi, Texas Tech, Louisville, Tulsa, Louisiana State, Louisiana-Monroe, Notre Dame, Arkansas State and Louisiana-Lafayette.

For the complete schedule and results, log on to SMUMustangs.com.