The George Mason Women's Tennis team will open their 2011-12 campaign Tuesday at Shepherd University.  The Patriots return six members from last year's squad and have added three incoming freshmen to the fold.

"I expect the top six to be very competitive," said head coach Steve Curtis.  "I think we have a bit more depth than we had last year."

Returning for the Patriots are consistent starters Brooke Blackwell, Kiersten Pappas, Alison Wingo, and Ashley Delaney, who have combined for 134 career singles wins.

The Patriots will be without Pappas for the first half of the fall semester, as she continues to recover from a nagging injury sustained last year.

Also returning for the Patriots are Andy Londen and Kate Desiatnikova.  Londen is also coming back from sitting out last year due to injury.  Londen had a strong freshman campaign in 2009-10, posting a 4-1 singles record, and 12-12 doubles record. Desiatnikova made a solid contribution in her freshman year, posting seven singles wins and eight doubles wins. 

Identical to last year, the Patriots have added three incoming freshmen:  Liza Davis, Amber Peters, and Tori Zalewski.  Davis and Zalewski are expected to make immediate contributions in Pappas' absence, while Peters will look to add depth along with Desiatnikova.

Mason's opponent, Shepherd University, went 12-9 overall last season.  The Patriots defeated the Rams last year by a score of 7-0, and will look to duplicate that effort to get the season off to a good start.