FARGO, ND - The University of Mary tennis team (2-0, 2-0 Northern Sun) looks to continue their unbeaten start to the 2022 season, competing in two games at Fargo, ND. UMary opens against St. Cloud State University (2-2, 2-2 NSIC) on Saturday, February 19, at 3 pm. The Marauders then take on the University of Minnesota Duluth (1-4, 1-3 NSIC) on Sunday, February 20, at 9 am.

Last Time Out
UMary defeated Winona State University (4-3) and Upper Iowa University (5-2) to open the 2022 season.

Doaa Farouk Mohamed and Callie McDonald won both of their matches in singles competition against UIU and WSU. McDonald and Heidi Jacobson went undefeated in doubles competition.

About the Opposition
St. Cloud State University has a 2-2 record to begin the season. SCSU defeated the University of Minnesota Crookston and Bemidji State University before falling to Augustana University and the University of Sioux Falls. Shanna Kinny is 3-1 in number four singles. Claudia Munoz Perez is 2-1 in number five singles.

The University of Minnesota Crookston is 1-4 overall and 1-3 in the Northern Conference. UMD opened against NSIC competition with a 5-2 win over UMC. The Bulldogs have since lost to BSU, AU and USF. Abby Johnson is 3-1 in number three singles. Olivia Honsey is 3-0 in number five singles.

NSIC Preseason Poll
UMary is projected to finish third in the Northern Sun according to the NSIC preseason coaches' poll. UMary finished fourth last year in the NSIC after going 8-3 in conference play.

Player to Watch
Chloe Chong was named the 2022 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Tennis Player to Watch for the Marauders. Chong was a team captain while playing in Malaysia and helped lead her team to a bronze medal in the ASEAN school games.

New Faces
Head coach Vida Saliendra brings in a young and dynamic team as five of the nine roster spots are taken by freshmen. Chloe Chong, Doaa Farouk Mohamed, Ilona Freitag, Callie McDonald and Emily Needham will all play a big role in the upcoming 2022 season.

Mohamed won several national titles while competing in Cairo, Egypt. Freitag won several individual and team competitions during her time in Switzerland. McDonald captained her high school team for her senior year and received All-Conference Honorable Mention honors for her efforts.

Needham was honored in 2018 as the USTA Wyoming Junior Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year. In 2021 she was the recipient of the Jim Steadman High School Athletic Award for leadership on and off the court.  The 4-time All-State recipient won back-to-back Wyoming High School #1 singles State championships in 2019 & 2020.

Returners
A notable returner for the Marauders is Heidi Jacobson, who competed as a six last season for the Marauders. She went 5-5 overall and 7-3 in doubles competition. Samantha Purpura and Ellie Schmidt return to UMary as Sophomores.

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