Women's Tennis | September 14, 2016
KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan women's tennis team is ready to open the 2016-17 season on a high note at the Hoosier Classic in Bloomington, Ind., from Friday, Sept. 16 to Sunday, Sept. 18.
"We have seven of eight players returning this season, all with significant playing time in the top-6 of our lineup," second year head coach Ryan Tomlinson said. "We put ourselves in a great spot last season playing for two titles, a Mid-American Conference (MAC) regular season and tournament title. Although we didn't come out on top, those experiences will pay off this year. I expect us to be a very hungry team with something to prove. We are looking forward to competing this weekend at Indiana and getting things started."
The Broncos will be battling some top competition with teams such as Indiana, Cincinnati, Wright State, SIU-Edwardsville and Lipscomb this weekend. Coach Tomlinson, along with newly appointed assistant coach Nathan Robinson, will head into the season with a total of eight student-athletes, including three seniors in Meika Ashby, 2016 Second Team All-MAC selection Tracy Kuhle and Barbare Eristavi. The lone junior on the squad is Olivia Myers, along with sophomores Denise Azcui, Katja Fevralev and Melina Lyubomirova. Azcui and Lyubomirova were each named to the All-MAC Tournament team as freshmen. WMU has one newcomer in Gabriela Slavova, who hails from Sofia, Bulgaria, the same hometown as Lyubomirova.
Last season the Broncos finished 19-8 overall and 6-2 in MAC play, eventually falling in the MAC Tournament championship to Ball State. WMU stayed tough at home as well, finishing with a 10-1 record after opening with 10-straight wins in Kalamazoo. Following the Hoosier Classic, the Brown & Gold will take two weekends off before hosting the Bronco Invitational on Friday, Oct. 7 through Sunday, Oct. 9.
Follow the Broncos on Twitter @WMUWomensTennis for all updates about the team!
