December 13, 2004
Under the leadership of second year head coach Rob Howarth, the SMU women's tennis team look to continue the success they had last year. Seniors Lynsie Jones, Jenny Langer, and Allison Leuszler, as well as, All-WAC selection Svetlana Kouzmenko, a junior, return to bring experience to the court for the 2004-05 season.
The 2003-04 squad achieved its highest final ranking since 1989, finishing the season at No. 43 in the nation. The team also earned its first NCAA tournament bid since 1996, advancing to the round of 32 for the first time since the 1988 campaign. Howarth feels that this team can build on last year's success and be just as successful down the stretch.
"We have a comparable team to last year," Howarth said. "Our main goal going into the season is to win conference and to make the NCAA Tournament and hopefully get further than the top 32. Our players are strong enough to beat some of the top players in the country, as we have proven this fall and we are deep enough to have the ability to win matches."
Two newcomers have arrived on the Hilltop to provide depth to the team. Sophomore transfer Jennifer Chay and freshman Maria Braniecka should both provide solid play in key positions. Chay, a transfer from TCU, had impressive outings during the fall tournaments and even collected a win against a top 20 opponent. Howarth is counting on performances like this from her in the spring.
"Jen had a great win over the No. 20 player in the country this fall and is probably one of the most athletic players that has come to this program in recent years," Howarth said. "I am looking for big things from her."
Howarth will look to his seniors to provide leadership and to give him quality performances at the top spots in his lineup.
"I think Jenny, Allison and Lindsay are all vocal leaders," Howarth said. "They really get the team together and encouraged and keep a good eye on the rest of the team. They all like to lead by example when they are out on the court."
Kouzmenko returns for her junior season ranked No. 54 and was chosen to the All-WAC team in her first two seasons. Kouzmenko is already fourth on the all-time career winning percentage list (.741) and has 43 career victories. Howarth knows he can count on her to come out and win matches and hopes to see her climb in the rankings.
"I can always expect Lana to come out and play hard and win," Howarth said. "She is very quiet, but she gets the job done and makes it look easy. She has been playing No. 1 since she has been here, so she just needs to keep working hard and trying to improve. We have some goals in place for her to work on her game and try to push into the top 30."
The Mustangs will face some tough competition this season, but are helped out by having 19 home matches this season. Schedules like this provide chances to improve on team rankings and, at the same time, give the team a good chance at a victory. Howarth also believes that hosting matches with top teams shows that his team is gaining recognition.
"I think it shows that we are gaining some recognition from other schools and shows that we are a strong team in the state of Texas," Howarth said. "It is worth their time to come here and play us. My goal over the next few years is to have quality schools call and want to play us here. It gives us the ability to have a tough schedule even at home."
With it's core members set to return and outstanding newcomers ready to provide immediate help, the Mustangs have the pieces in place to continue it's recent success and attain their goal of being recognized as a top women's tennis program.
