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For Immediate Release 13 February 2002
SPRINGFIELD
– The Southwest Baptist women’s tennis team will
open the 2003 season in Springfield this weekend. The Lady
Bearcats will face Northeastern State (Okla.) on Friday, Feb.
14 at 7 p.m. at the Cooper Tennis Center.
“We are opening up against a very strong opponent, maybe
one of the best we will play all year,” said SBU Head
Coach Ray Still. “This will be a great opportunity to
see where we are at, to learn from the experience and to continue
to go out and keep improving.”
SBU enters the season ranked No. 10 in North Central Region
after finishing the 2002 season with a 10-10 record. The Lady
Bearcats finished in fourth place in the Mid-America Intercollegiate
Athletics Association Championship tournament.
The women have four new players on the 2003 roster, including
freshmen Iza Ferreira, Valerie Jones, Lynne Klaasen and Bobbie
Zawislak.
Ferreira is expected to play in the first slot in singles
and is a 5-4 freshman from Florianapolis, Brazil. Valerie
Jones, a 5-6 freshman from Wichita, Kan., will play in the
No. 2 singles position. In the No. 3 position is Klassen,
a 5-5 freshman from Kuils River, South Africa. Playing the
four and five slots this weekend will be Lindsay Hickel, a
5-7 junior from Claflin, Kan. and Zawislak, a 5-6 native of
Lake Ozark, Sophomore Brielyn Toler returns to the team for
her second year of competition, however, she will not compete
this weekend due to injury. The 5-6 Brownsboro, Ala. native
won the No. 3 singles bracket at last year’s MIAA Championship
tournament, gaining All-MIAA honors.
Northeastern State, ranked No. 15 in NCAA Division II, enters
the match 3-0 this season. They Lady Reds have defeated Harding
(8-1), Central Arkansas (7-2) and Hendrix (9-0) and are ranked
No. 2 in the Central Region.
NSU is led by Neus Barbera and Zorana Stefanovic. Stefanovic
is ranked No. 9 in the nation in singles and No. 1 in the
region. Barbera is ranked No. 28 in the nation in singles
and No. 3 in the region in singles. Barbera and Stefanovic
are ranked No. 7 in the nation as a duo and No. 1 in the region
in doubles. Also ranked in the region is Berit Itschert at
No. 13 in singles.
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