A-STATE TENNIS
2015-16 Preview Kel Lange ushers in a new era of Arkansas State women’s tennis after being selected to take charge of the team in the summer of 2015. Lange, who has experience as a head coach in the SEC, most recently coached at Birmingham Southern where he enjoyed four years of success before joining a Sun Belt Conference school for the first time in his career. Lange is faced with a tough task in having to replace a four-year all-conference player in Tamara Slijepecevic, who etched her name across the A-State record books with four phenomenal years of tennis. Not only did she become the seventh player in school history with 50 or more career wins, she also ranks third on the Red Wolves’ all-time career winning percentage list. In addition to Slijepecvic, A-State must also replace Jess Heeps-Eriksen who served as one of the core doubles’ players on the roster in the last four years and also made a strong impression as a singles’ competitor in her senior season. Perhaps the most logical choice to take over the No. 1 spot for Lange is junior Julie Gauguery who won six matches as the No. 2 position player last season. Gauguery has shown promise of taking the next step, but could receive a heavy dose of competition for the top spot from freshman Shelby King who proved she will be name to be remembered throughout the Red Wolves’ fall schedule. King had the best showing of any A-State player in recent memory at the ITA Regional Tournament in Stillwater, Okla., by winning a pair of matches and advancing deep in the consolation bracket. She also too home top honors in two other tournaments. Fellow freshman Victoria Roberts also comes with a strong pedigree, earning a No. 74 ranking in the Southeast Region and nabbing a 3-star rating by Tennisrecruiting.net. Of the returning players, redshirt junior Daria Iurchenko is looking to bounce back after a slow start to her fall season. The Russian native is coming a season-ending injury in 2015 and is looking to work her way back into form this season. Senior Sofia Krsmanovic also figures to figure into the regular rotation and has shown flashes that she can be among the Sun Belt’s best players. Junior Victoria Pisani has also been very consistent throughout her career and can be counted on to give a stellar effort each and every time that she takes the court. Senior Chiara Stefanov adds stability to the lineup, while sophomore Sabina Jeresic is a wild card that can play virtually any position in the lineup and find success. Before the dual match season kicks off in November, the Red Wolves will take part in two tuneup tournaments. The squad will travel to Fort Myers, Fla., to participate in the FGCU invitational Jan. 14-18 and will follow with a trip to Dallas, Texas to take part in the SMU Invite Jan. 23-24.The dual match season officially kicks Deb. 2 with a home match against Central Arkansas, followed by five straight road matches against Stephen F. Austin, Lamar, Saint Louis and Southern Illinois. The squad returns home Feb. 27 for a three-match home stand staring with Murray State and follow with a March 5 matchup against Lipscomb and Eastern Illinois on March 12. Sun Belt Conference play starts with a neutral clash with Appalachian State in Nashville, followed by two non-conference slates at home against Missouri State and Western Kentucky on March 18-19. The Red Wolves then travel to Louisiana to take on Texas State and UT Arlington in a neutral site clash, followed by a trip to New Orleans to take on Southeastern Louisiana and New Orleans. Arkansas State wraps up league play with a trip to Texas to play Louisiana-Monroe and Louisiana-Lafayette. The Sun Belt Conference tournament is scheduled for April 21-24 in New Orleans. 2015-16 Arkansas State Women’s Reference Guide
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