Saturday, 09/08/2012

Cougars ready for first of 11 tournaments during fall season

HOUSTON – The University of Houston tennis team opens the 2012-13 campaign this weekend at the War Eagle Invitational at Auburn’s Yarbrough Tennis Center.

First-year head coach Patrick Sullivan and the Cougars begin fall tournament play on Friday morning against opponents from Auburn, Mississippi State, Tulane, Northwestern State, Lamar, Georgia Southern, UT-Chattanooga, Kennesaw State and Louisiana-Lafayette.

The tournament features two rounds of singles and a round of doubles play on Friday, followed by one round of singles and two rounds of doubles action on Saturday. The tournament draw will be released early Friday morning.

Houston returns seven of nine letterwinners and five of six regular starters in singles play from last year's squad that posted the program's 10th-straight winning season.

Houston welcomes backseniors Bryony Hunter and Maja Kazimieruk, juniors Celia Fraser, Jo Garvey and Dionne Sanders and sophomores Charlotte Phillips and Liselot Koenen.

Fraser (22-14), Hunter (33-17) and Kazimieruk (39-19) all have posted winning records every season in dual singles play as regular starters, while Koenen and Phillips combined for a 25-16 mark in their first collegiate seasons a year ago.

The Cougars also add two newcomers in sophomore transfer Elena Kordolaimi and freshman Gabriella Jansson.

Kordolaimi, who starred as a freshman at Stephen F. Austin, posted an overall singles mark of 23-9 andearned a 17-7 record in dual play primarily at the top position to help lead the `Jacks to their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance.