Jan. 15, 2005

NEW ORLEANS, La. - The ninth-ranked Tulane University women's tennis team opens the spring season with dual matches on Sunday and Monday, Jan. 16 and 17, hosting Florida A&M and Southern at Goldring Tennis Center.

"We are excited to begin the season; hopefully we can get off to a good start," Tulane head coach David Schumacher said. "We've played Southern the past few seasons and have a feel for what to expect, but this is our first time playing Florida A&M so we don't really know that much about them."

Tulane returns 12 players from last year's squad which won a school-record 27 matches, captured its second consecutive Conference USA title, and advanced to the NCAA Round of 16 for the first time in school history.

Aside from the team's No. 9 ranking, the Green Wave have five individuals and two doubles teams in the latest ITA rankings. Senior Nancy Kockott captured Tulane's top individual ranking, coming in at No. 51 after compiling a 28-6 record last season. Darya Ivanov is ranked No. 64 while two-time Conference USA Player of the Year and All-American Jenny Kuhn is begins the 2005 campaign in the No. 81 spot. Sophomore Doryatta Magas and senior Maria Ivanov find themselves ranked 106th and 112th, respectively. On the doubles chart, the pair of Kockott and All-American Julie Smekodub earned the No. 26 spot, and the Ivanov sister duo came in 49th.

Sunday marks the opening match for Florida A&M, a team that finished the 2004 campaign with a record of 9-16. Southern, the 2004 Southwestern Athletic Conference champions and NCAA Tournament qualifiers, will also play its first match of year against the Green Wave. Matches on Sunday and Monday both start at 12 p,m. at Goldring Tennis Center on the Tulane Campus.