Jan. 30, 2004
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
Any tennis fan can appreciate the high level of college women's tennis that will be taking place this weekend in Lexington, Kentucky. The Maryland women join the ranks of some of the nations' top teams, No. 4 Duke, No. 24 Texas A&M and host No.15 Kentucky, as they open their 2004 season on Saturday, Jan. 31.
The Terps and the Aggies, who will meet for the first time, face off Saturday at 10:00 a.m. Maryland will close out its road swing when they take on Kentucky on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. All matches will be played at the Hilary J. Boone Varsity Tennis Complex in Lexington, Ky.
Scouting the Opponents
Texas A&M
The Aggies are returning 7 letter winners from last year's squad, who won A&M's first Big 12 regular season title and advanced to the NCAAs. Coming into the match against Maryland, Aggie head coach Bobby Kleinecke who is heading into his 18th season, boasts 12 consecutive wins in season openers.
Individually two Aggies have received national recognition: Jessica Roland is ranked No. 26 and is also part of the No. 22 doubles team with partner Helga Vieira. Roland also advanced to the Round of 32 at the 2003 NCAA Singles Championship. Also adding to the depth in the Aggie lineup is three-time Big 12 singles champion Roberta Spencer.
Kentucky
Kentucky's Head Coach Mark Guilbeau, now in his eight year, looks to mold a championship team from a roster that includes nine newcomers. Among the newcomers is the ITA's 23rd-ranked player, Aibika Kalsarieva. The junior transfer from Lewis & Clark State tallied an 18-3 fall record.
Junior Danielle Petrisko hails as the only returning member of the Kentucky team that in 2003 tallied a 23-8 record. The Wildcats finished with a No. 12 final ITA ranking and a NCAA Sweet 16 berth.
Live scoring from each of the weekend's matches will be available from the women's tennis schedule page at www.ukathletics.com.
