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.