TCU Hosts UTPA to Open 2011 Slate
1/21/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Jan. 21, 2011
FORT WORTH - TCU's women's tennis team begins its 2011 campaign Saturday when it plays host to the Texas Pan American Broncs at the Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center.
TCU is 4-0 all-time against UTPA, with all four of the meetings between the two schools coming in Fort Worth. The Horned Frogs and Broncs have not met since Jan. 30, 1998, when TCU claimed a 9-0 win. UTPA has won only two points in the all-time series.
The Horned Frogs are 25-9 all-time in season openers, including a 3-1 mark under Dave Borelli. However, TCU is looking to snap a four-match skid in season openers that dates back to 2006. Under Borelli's watch, TCU's lone loss in a season opener came at the hands of his alma mater, USC, on Jan. 23, 2004.
The Horned Frogs open the season at No. 51 in the Campbell's ITA College Tennis Rankings and have five returning contributors from last year's squad that won its second-consecutive Mountan West Conference Tournament Championship and earned its seventh-straight bid to the NCAA Championships.
Senior Katariina Tuohimaa headlines the returnees for the Frogs. The Helsinki, Finland, native has been an All-MWC selection in singles and doubles each of her first three years at TCU. A year ago, she earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships, advancing to the Sweet 16 of the doubles bracket.
Other returning Frogs are seniors Maria Babanova, Idunn Hertzberg, Shalini Sahoo and junior Gaby Mastromarino. A year ago, Babanova posted a 5-17 record in dual events, while Hertzberg was 9-18. Playing at the Nos. 5 and 6 positions, Mastromarino was 11-13, including a nine-match winning streak. Sahoo played in only six matches for TCU, notching a 1-5 record.
TCU also welcomes three newcomers to its squad in transfers Olivia Smith and Federica Denti, as well as walk-on Molly Welsh. Smith and Denti joined the Frogs during last semester after transferring from Miami and Sam Houston State, respectively.
Smith sat out the fall season due to NCAA rules, but Denti competed and advanced to the championship match in the doubles bracket of the HEB Baylor Invitational with Tuohimaa. Smith is eligible for the spring season and both will contribute for Borelli's top six. Molly Welsh, a walk-on from Peaster, Texas, also joins the Frogs this spring.
The 2011 season will see a familiar face return to the sidelines for the Frogs, as Borelli takes the reins of the TCU women's program for the second time. Borelli spent the last four years coaching the men's squad, after his first four-year stint with the women. Borelli brings assistant coach Jason Marshall to the women's squad with him after Marshall spent the previous two seasons working with the TCU men.
At each TCU home tennis match this season, Mama's Pizza will provide free food to fans in attendance, whether the match is outside on the Bernard J. "Tut" Bartzen Varsity Courts or if the match is moved indoors due to inclement weather. Fans will also have the opportunity to pick up the official TCU Women's Tennis poster and players will be available post-match to sign autographs.
Players Mentioned
