The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
UTSA
Women’s Tennis Preview: UTSA
01.20.2014 | Women's Tennis
Longhorns open the 2014 dual-match season Wednesday in Austin.
WHAT: No. 17 Texas opens the 2014 dual-match season against UTSA (1-0).
WHEN: Wednesday, Jan. 22 – 2 p.m. CT
WHERE: Penick-Allison Tennis Center – Austin, Texas
LIVE SCORING: Available at TexasSports.com
LAST MEETING vs. UTSA: Texas defeated UTSA by a 7-0 count on Jan. 19, 2008 in Austin. Texas holds a 4-0 series advantage against UTSA.
TEXAS RANKS NO. 17 IN PRESEASON POLL
Texas ranks 17th in the preseason women's college tennis poll released Jan. 2 by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA). UT is the poll's highest-ranked school from the Big 12 Conference.
Texas sophomore All-American Breaunna Addison ranks 22nd in the ITA preseason singles rankings after reaching the singles semifinals last season at the NCAA Championships.
The Big 12's highest-ranked singles player, Addison joins freshman Pippa Horn as the league's top-ranked doubles duo at No. 21 in the ITA preseason doubles rankings. Freshman Ratnika Batra ranks 77th in the women's singles rankings.
The ITA will release its next team poll on Tuesday (Jan. 21) at ITATennis.com.
LONGHORNS WELCOME NEDA KOPRCINA
First-semester freshman Neda Koprcina made her Longhorns debut over the weekend and picked up her first college win at the Miami Spring Invite.
Ranked as high as No. 828 in the WTA world tennis rankings, Koprcina is Croatia's under-18 national champion. The native of Split, Croatia trained in her hometown and in Belgium at the Justine Henin Tennis Academy.
"Neda is an exciting addition to Texas Tennis," said UT head coach Patty Fendick-McCain. "Neda is a hard-working individual who was shaped by an extremely competitive environment in her native Croatia. We are thrilled to have her at Texas."
Texas welcomes another newcomer next season in the form of Ryann Foster of Sunrise, Fla. Foster has been ranked as high as No. 940 in singles and No. 953 in doubles in the WTA world rankings.
NEXT UP FOR TEXAS: The Longhorns resume their home slate this weekend when they host the ITA Kick-Off Weekend event. Texas will take on Auburn on Saturday at 10 a.m. CT. Rice meets Florida State in the day's second match at 1 p.m. Saturday's winners will face off on Sunday at 1 p.m. with a berth in the ITA National Team Indoor Championship on the line. Saturday's losers will play Sunday at 10 a.m. CT.
THE 2013-14 LONGHORNS
Under ninth-year head coach Patty Fendick-McCain, Texas returns six student-athletes from the 2012-13 squad that won UT's second consecutive Big 12 Championship and landed at No. 17 in the final ITA team rankings.
As a first-semester freshman last spring, Breaunna Addison became just the third Longhorn ever to reach the singles semifinals at the NCAA Championships and the first freshman to do so.
The Boca Raton, Fla., native became the first UT freshman to earn ITA singles All-America honors since Susan Gilchrist in 1990. Addison tallied 30 singles wins and was selected as the Big 12 Conference Freshman of the Year.
Senior Elizabeth Begley has won two Big 12 individual titles and tallied 62 singles victories in her last two seasons. The Houston native earned her first ITA ranking this month and is featured at No. 124 in singles.
Former Big 12 Freshman of the Year Lina Padegimaite returns after posting 13 dual-match wins last season as a junior. Classmate Annat Rabinovich added a pair of dual-match wins last season.
Texas also returns senior Juliana Gajic and sophomore Lana Groenvynck, who clinched UT's Big 12 Championship semifinal win over Texas Tech last season. Freshman Ratnika Batra reached the second round of the girls' singles draw at the 2012 Roland Garros (French Open) Junior Championships. Freshman Pippa Horn (Norwich, Norfolk, England) competed at the last three Wimbledon Junior Championships.
