SILVER CITY, N.M. – The Western New Mexico University women's tennis team will get the chance to open the 2015 spring schedule at home against Division I Grand Canyon University on Monday at 10 a.m.
It will be the first meeting between the two teams since 2011 when GCU came away with a 9-0 victory in Glendale.
GCU has played two matches already this season in Albuquerque falling to New Mexico (6-1) and South Carolina (4-1). They will face UTEP on Sunday before traveling to Silver City to face the Lady Mustangs on Monday.
The Lady Lopes compiled a 13-6 record last season and return three of their top singles players this season. Tatum Prudhomme tied for the most singles wins on the team last year with 14 playing at the No. 2 slot. Priscilla Annoual collected 13 wins at No. 1 and Silvia Tumova added 12 wins at No. 5. In terms of doubles play, Annoual/Prudhomme tallied 12 wins at No. 1, while Tumova teamed with Alexandra Petrzalkov to add seven wins at No. 3. Their No. 2 doubles combo from last season both graduated.
So far this season, Petrzalkova and Lana Rinaldi each have a singles victory.
WNMU went 5-19 and 4-1 in the RMAC last season, falling just short in the RMAC Championship game to eventual champion Colorado Mesa, 5-4.
The Lady Mustangs return RMAC Academic and Player of the Year in
Ganna Tiurina (Kiev, Ukraine/M.M. Gromov #227), honors that she has won each of the past two seasons and comes into this year as the Preseason Player of the Year. She won 12 singles matches, all at No. 1 and went perfect through RMAC singles and doubles play. She added 10 doubles victories with
Marie Monier (Saint Etienne, France/St Paul Forez Montbrison).
Claudia Osuna (Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico/Tec Milenio ) had eight singles victories at No. 3 and added four doubles victories with
Marissa Aguirre (Douglas, AZ/Douglas).
Diamond Morrill (Carlsbad, NM/Carlsbad) collected five singles victories at No. 4 and also posted four doubles victories at No. 2 with
Dena Irvin (Farmington, NM/Farmington High School).
WNMU will have the Newell sisters, Ashley and Tiffany back this season, along with newcomers
Annica Betz (Celle, Germany/Kaiserin Auguste Viktoria Gymnasium),
Pauline Emin (Viry, France/Lycee Arbez Carme) (named to the RMAC Preseason Team) and
Tianna Zambrano (Silver City, NM/Silver City).
It will be the first of two home matches for the Lady Mustangs as after their 10 a.m. match Monday against Grand Canyon, they will face Eastern Arizona on Wednesday at 1 p.m.
