March 20, 2013

COLLEGE PARK, Md - After splitting two weekend contests at home, the Maryland women's tennis team (5-7, 0-3 ACC) hits the road to take on Brown, Thursday at 2 p.m.

Last Time Out

The Terrapins went 1-1 in their two match out of conference slate over the weekend. On Saturday, freshman Gabriela Srodowski won the final singles match of the day to give the Terps a 4-3 victory over Penn.

On Sunday, the Terps were unable to rally in the singles session and lost to then No. 33 William and Mary, 4-3. Senior Vroni Van Berlo won her second singles match of the weekend to improve her overall singles record to 8-4 this season.

Fresh Faces

Five freshmen will be integral to Maryland's success this season. Sarah Gealer, the only freshman who played during the fall season, is joined by spring newcomers Olga Gaistruk, Gabriela Srodowski, Olga Bredikhina and Nataliya Bredikhina.

Gealer and Srodowski, the former from Los Angeles, California, the later from California, Maryland, started the season as the No. 2 doubles duo. The Bredikhina sisters formed the No. 3 doubles team in the Terps' first four matches before being elevated to No. 2 doubles against Towson.

More recently, Gealer has moved up to team with Senior Vroni Van Berlo to form Maryland's No. 1 tandem. The twins have slid into the No. 2 spots, while Gaistruk and Srodowski now play at No. 3.

In singles, the freshmen have combined for a 32-28 overall record. At home, they're 25-15.

"They just have to keep bringing the energy and a sense of urgency to every single match," assistant coach and former Maryland standout Maros Horny said. "They can be a little nervous to start the match, but the energy will make the nerves go away."

Veteran Presence

Maryland's two upperclassmen will serve as mentors for their young teammates this season, but in different ways.

Vroni Van Berlo Berlo has been a source of stability for the Terps this season, accumulating 8-4 singles record A native of the Netherlands, Van Berlo has held down the No. 1 spot in the Maryland's singles and doubles lineups, and won her first ever match against a ranked player when she defeated No. 116 Jessica Wacnik of Boston College, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3.

Junior Welma Luus will not be on-court this spring, but will still play an integral part in the Terrapins' development this season. The Pretoria, South Africa native, who was ranked as high as 15th nationally in doubles last year, will serve as a key source of guidance for her younger teammates.

Under New Management

Daria Panova became Maryland's third women's tennis head coach in three years when she was named to the top position on August 13, 2012.

Panova brings a sterling resume to College Park. The former Oregon standout was a two time All-American and the 2003 Pac-10 Player of the Year while in Eugene. The Moscow native is also the winningest singles player in Oregon history with an impressive 94 victories.

After graduating from Oregon in 2005, Panova served as a volunteer assistant for the Ducks. She then moved to the University of Minnesota, where for the past five seasons she has made her home as an assistant coach. Panova helped lead the Gophers to their first NCAA tournament appearance in nine years last season.

Series History

The Terps are 1-1 against the Bears since 1998. The last meeting came in 2011, with Maryland taking a 6-1 decision in Providence.

Scouting the Bears

Brown enters Thursday's match with a 4-6 record in the spring season, but have lost their last two matches, a 5-2 loss to VCU and 4-3 defeat to NC State. The Bears share to common opponents with Maryland, Boston College and VCU. The teams are a combined 0-4 against those two teams.

The past two matches, the Brown has employed the duo of Misia Krasowski and Hannah Camhi at No. 1 doubles. The two also lead the Bears' singles lineup. Krasowski is a two time First Team All-Ivy selection in singles.

Follow the Terps

To find live updates and news on Maryland women's tennis, follow the team on Twitter @TerpTennis