EMU Tennis Begins 2009 Regular Season

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» 2009 SEASON KICKS OFF: The Eastern Michigan University women's tennis team will kick off its 32nd season Friday, Jan. 23, traveling to Michigan State University. The first season of women's intercollegiate tennis at EMU was 1976-77 under the direction of Lucy Parker. The Eagles went 8-7 that season and finished fifth at the Michigan AIAW Championship.

» WHAT'S ON TAP: The Eastern Michigan University tennis team will open the 2009 regular season with a pair of matches scheduled against Big 10 opponents. Friday, Jan. 23, the Eagles travel to East Lansing, Mich. to take on the Michigan State Spartans at 4 p.m. The Eagles will then travel to Madison, Wisc. for a 10 a.m. matchup with the University of Wisconsin.

» SCOUTING THE SPARTANS: The Spartans, ranked 65th in the latest ITA poll, went 12-13 last season and recorded a Big 10 mark of 3-7 to finish tied for sixth. MSU enters the match with an overall record of 0-1, having dropped a 6-1 decision to No. 40 Louisville. Michigan State is under the direction of first year head coach Simone Jardim. The Spartans, who return nine letterwinners from last year's team and welcome two newcomers, are led by senior Stephanie Kebler at the No. 1 position.

» THE SERIES: The Eagles and Spartans have met 29 times since EMU began awarding scholarships in 1976-77. The first meeting between the two came during the spring of 1977 when the Spartans took a 9-0 decision from the Eagles. Overall, Michigan State holds a 23-6 mark over Eastern. In their most recent meeting, March 12, 2008, MSU won 5-2. EMU's most recent win came during the 2003-04 season on Feb. 6, when the Eagles edged out a 4-3 victory.

» SCOUTING THE BADGERS: The Badgers kick off their schedule Saturday, Jan. 24, when they host DePaul, before hosting the Eagles on Sunday. UW, which is ranked No. 66 in the most recent ITA poll, finished the 2007-08 season with an overall record of 10-14 and a 2-8 Big 10 ledger. Wisconsin is under the guidance of second-year head coach Brian Fleishman. The Badgers are led by senior Liz Carpenter, who is currently ranked No. 25 in singles and No. 15 in doubles with Aleksandra Markovic by the ITA in the Midwest Region.

» THE SERIES: The Eagles and Badgers have met three times previously and Wisconsin has recorded a win in every meeting. The two teams first met during the 1976-77 season and UW swept the Eagles 9-0. They then renewed the rivalry in 2006-07, with the Badgers taking a 6-1 victory and then again in 2007-08, recording a 5-2 victory.

» RAY RETURNS FOR A THIRD: Head coach Ryan Ray returns for his third season as the women's tennis coach. In two seasons, his charges have compiled an overall record of 21-23 and 9-7 in the MAC. His 2008 squad finished tied for third in the MAC.

» NEW LOOK: The EMU women's tennis team has a new look, as the Eagles return just one athlete from last year's squad in senior Joanna Woo. Six newcomers joined the squad, including three in January. They are: sophomore Xu Chang and freshmen Karina Ahuja, Rumbidzai Muskwe, Marcela Rivero and Miriam Westerink. Georgia de'Liske-Tarr will sit out the 2009 season and will be eligible to play in January 2010.

» FOREIGN FLAVOR: The women's tennis program has athletes on its roster from all over the world. EMU women's tennis players call seven different countries home. Karina Ahuja hails from India, Xu Chang comes from China, Georgia de'Lisle-Tarr calls Australia home, Rumbidzai Muskwe is from Zimbabwe, Marcela Rivero comes from Bolivia, Miriam Westerink is from the Netherlands and Joanna Woo hails from across the border in Canada.

» EMU ON THE WORLDWIDE WEB: The EMU athletic website, featuring information on all 21 varsity athletic teams, is: www.emueagles.com.

Eastern Michigan Athletics

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