Jan. 24, 2002

Waco, Texas - Baylor's women's tennis team, ranked No. 20 nationally, will kick off the spring season tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. at Baylor's Tennis Center against Middle Tennessee.

The Bears will be led by senior Katja Kovac, ranked No. 29 nationally. Other top players for Baylor include junior Vida Mulec at No. 43. The doubles team of Kovac and Mulec ranks 25th in the nation.

Middle Tennessee also brings ranked players to the court. Manon Kruse earned a No. 33 national ranking and a doubles ranking of No. 32 with her partner Stacy Varnell.

At 10 a.m. on Saturday, the women will continue play against the Rice Owls. Rice's duo of Jasmin Fisher and Jeri Gonzales are ranked No. 51 nationally.

The women ended the 2001-2002 season with a record of 22-7, received a top 16 seed to the NCAA Tournament and ranked #18 nationally. Six players return from last year's successful team and head coach Dave Luedtke has added five newcomers.