Their No. 1 player transferred.

Two veterans graduated.

Heck, even the head coach left.

But don't look for a drop off from the UNLV women's tennis team in 1999.

"We've got a great chance at contending for the WAC championship," says Douglas Geiwald who will oversee the women's practices and matches this spring.

While Gee Gee Garvin left the program for BYU, the Lady Rebels brought in their highest-rated junior-college recruit in history.

While Lisa Annebro and Marie Linusson headed off the courts with their diplomas - and 121 career victories - in tow, the school features one senior and two returning sophomores to fill in the holes.

And while the top coach in program history, Ola Malmqvist, left after six years to join the USTA ranks, the current players are fortunate to be led by another former top Swedish player, Geiwald, who also assisted Malmqvist the last three years.

Now you know why the Lady Rebels are still ranked all the way up at No. 31 heading into spring play.

Geiwald is being assisted by that same Annebro (now with the married name Blenkiron) to further build continuity in the program.

"Lisa has been there before," Geiwald says. "She has played under this system and is now coaching in it, which has is really helping this team."

This team's lineup, though solid, does have some youth with two freshmen joining the seven-woman squad. However, Geiwald says the team will have some room to gel in time for the postseason much like last year's version, which improved from a low of 72nd all the way up to 28th to end the season.

"We have a lot of different kinds of players on this team," says Geiwald. "I know they can all play but it takes some time to get used to the team aspect of college tennis. That's added pressure and freshmen have to grow into it. If we can come together as a team during the season we can just keep it rolling."

Expected to top this year's singles lineup is the aforementioned top JC recruit Katarina Malec. The product of Poland comes to the City of Lights from the College of the Desert. The junior simply did not lose a match in two years at the Palm Desert, Calif., school. Despite her obvious potential, Geiwald says Malec will have to quickly adjust to the big jump in competition.

"Katarina is a great athlete and she definitely has the game," he says. "But she needs to get some tough matches under her belt to help build confidence and work her way up on this level."

Former Southern Mississippi transfer Susie Kocsis (12-24 singles record in 1997-98) has the experience of being a No. 1 player and will look to finish up strong in what is her senior year after a tough go-round in 1998. Her 6-3 fall record and first singles ranking at UNLV - 97th - are the most positive of signs.

"Susie is playing better in singles and doubles and I think she'll be up for her last semester," Geiwald says.

Junior Veronica Goude (21-12) should once again handle things in the third position, a spot where she ran up a sparkling 15-6 mark last year.

"Veronica is solid. She has a lot of close three-setters and we need to look for her to be tougher in those matches. If she finishes out her sets, she'll have a lot more success."

Freshman Marianne Bakken out of Norway and sophomore Britta Gabl (11-13) are next in the lineup.

"Marianne has shown early signs but needs to get some matches played," Geiwald says. "Britta proved she can play great tennis but needs to get a lot more consistent."

The final singles spot is expected to be shared by sophomore Marcella Valkenhoff (9-4) and freshman Urska Radanovic who hails from Slovenia.

Last year's doubles play featured perhaps the top duo in school history when Kocsis and Garvin played together and reached No. 4 in the nation. Although Garvin departs, Geiwald says he is confident that UNLV can field three solid teams.

Valkenhoff's teaming with Kocsis was a big hit in the fall as the duo finished with an 8-4 mark in tournament play. Malec and Bakken will get a shot at the top spot together and Goude and Radanovic have the potential to become the best No. 3 team in Las Vegas in years.

Theschedule, perhaps the nation's toughest a year ago, includes the usual brutal road slate at powers USC, UCLA, Arizona and Arizona State while a spring break trip to Georgia will offer three matches vs. strong Southeastern Conference schools.

This year begins the home part of an annual home and home series with elite WAC teams BYU, San Diego State and Utah as well as perennial power San Diego. Also, history will be made on March 25 when nine-time NCAA champion Stanford makes its first-ever appearance in Las Vegas to take on the Lady Rebels.

"I'm hoping the tough schedule will benefit us later in the year," Geiwald says. "That happened last year. That is why we were playing our best tennis at the end."

This season's WAC tournament, set for Albuquerque, N.M., will be the final such event for UNLV as it joins seven other schools in leaving to form the new Mountain West Conference later this year. The Lady Rebels were upset as the top seed two years ago and fell in the finals to a powerful BYU last year. This time may be different, Geiwald says.

"It is our goal to win the WAC in our last year in the league. I think if things go right, we'll take a great shot at it. And if we do that, getting into the (team's third consecutive) NCAA regional will take care of itself."