With three league titles in four seasons, including last year's first-ever regular-season variety, the UNLV women's tennis program continues to keep company among the upper-crust of the Mountain West Conference.
A shiny 28-9 MWC mark during head coach Kevin Cory's tenure is one of the reasons the Lady Rebels have regularly found a spot in both the nation's top 25 and the NCAA's postseason party.
However, UNLV's 2004 edition, which is ranked 37th heading into the season, has a different makeup in its quest for another trophy. Only three letterwinners return. Only one senior shows up on the roster. No players are ranked individually in the preaseson. Cory says the talent is there but so are question marks.
"We are definitely young and this is one of those years with uncertainty with three of the six starting players being new," the two-time MWC Coach of the Year says. "We have the type of team that could win the conference but it depends on how the players adjust. Any time you have 50 percent of your players that haven't played Division I tennis, you don't know what to expect."
The bad news is UNLV's only ranked player at the end of 2003 - sophomore academic all-region honoree Tracie Chong - transferred to Rice to take advantage of its engineering program. The all-conference player's departure left a whole in the lineup.
"Tracie had two great years for us and losing someone of her caliber will take its toll," says Cory. "She was someone you could count on for a lot of wins at three and four." The good news is the new faces brought in to replace Chong and graduating starters Amy Hadziosmanovic and Paulina Janus not only are initially impressive but also making a quick adjustment.
"There is a lot of excitement this year - a different kind of energy," says Cory. "The team is bonding well, getting along really well on and off the courts. I am happy with this group. We had a solid recruiting class and having only one senior, the future is exciting."
SINGLES
After moving to the No. 1 singles position for the last six matches of 2003, Gyorgyi Zsiros (19-10 overall last year) will head into a season on top for the first time. The junior missed some matches because of injury but was able to overcome a slow start in the fall to win her fist 10 dual-match efforts and raise her career dual record to an incredible 31-1 before losing half of her last 10 outings.
"Gyorgyi Zsiros will be our court leader," says Cory. "She is one of the most talented players in college tennis - a threat to anyone she plays. If we can keep her healthy, she should turn in another great season."
Starting the spring in the No. 2 spot is the team's lone senior, Agnieszka Abram (12-15), who had her best success at the fourth position a year ago with a 6-3 mark. However, Abram also played No. 2 as a freshman and has proved more than capable, on track to leave ranked in the top 10 for career victories.
"Agnieszka Abram has been a tremendous player in the history of UNLV tennis," says Cory. "She has the type of game that on any day she could beat anyone in the country. We'll look for her to provide leadership for the team. She is coming off July wrist surgery but has looked good early in getting back in the swing."
Completing the top half of the lineup will be junior transfer Anne Claire Ortiz-Luis who was a dominant No. 1 at Cal Poly Pomona for the last two seasons. Ending last year as the nation's 31st-ranked Division-II player for the Broncos, Ortiz-Luis quickly racked up seven tournament wins at UNLV in the fall.
"Anne Claire is probably our top newcomer. She has been even better than we thought and will be a key ingredient the next two years. She brings a lot of competitive spirit to the matches on her own court and for her teammates. She is feisty and I wish we had five more like her." The player emerging as the most improved player on the team will begin at No. 4 as sophomore Cindy Treber (9-11) proved in the fall that she will be an asset to the lineup after adjusting to college tennis.
"Cindy Treber has really come out of her shell and is blossoming into a strong player for us," says Cory. "She had good success in the fall and has shown she is ready to step up to the next level."
Also finding some success in the fall was new addition Claire Smith. A freshman from Great Britain, Smith collected six wins in tournament play and will start the spring playing on Court Five.
"Claire Smith will develop into a key player during her career here but will also be a significant factor this year," says Cory. "She is an all-court player with a big serve and a quality game."
Rounding out the starting lineup will be UNLV's newest addition. Mery Constanti hit town in January and will be looked on to quickly make the adjustment to the college game.
"Mery Constanti has been a pleasant addition," says her new coach. "We feel that she has potential to play high in the lineup over the next four years. She has a big forehand and great feel at the net."
Two transfers, both of whom are Las Vegas natives, joined the team in the fall and will add quality depth: Lisa Lester was a two-year starter at Pacific while Lindsey Sobers previously attended New Mexico.
"It's very positive having local players join the team this year. Lisa had some success at Pacific and is a strong doubles player. Lindsey is one of the most athletic players on the team and can compete if she uses that to her advantage."
DOUBLES
After only middling success in doubles a year ago, Cory says he expects to pick up points there in 2004.
All three teams will be playing with each other for the first time this spring. Veteran Abram will begin the year teaming with transfer Ortiz-Luis at the top spot while Zsiros and Smith should match up on Court Two, and Treber and Constanti are projected at No. 3.
THE SCHEDULE
As is the norm, UNLV's schedule is loaded in '04.
Sandwiched between non-conference tilts with top-10 teams such as Stanford, Cal and UCLA is the annual home invitational, which boasts perhaps its strongest field ever with entries such as Tulane, Fresno State and Oklahoma State.
What's more, the Mountain West Conference schedule sees only the two Utah schools visiting Fertitta before the annual postseason tourney is staged in San Diego April 29-May 1.
"We'll play as competitive a schedule as we have had here," says Cory. "Even though this is somewhat of a rebuilding year, we expect to be one of the top teams in the conference. We scheduled tough expecting to be able to compete at that level. We'll see how things go when the pressure is on."
