WINONA, MN - The University of Mary tennis team kicks off their 2022 season with two-weekend road games at Winona, MN. UMary opens play against Winona State University on Saturday, February 5, at 3:30 pm. The Marauders then take on Upper Iowa University on Sunday, February 6, at 9 am.

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.

About the Opposition
Winona State University finished second in the Northern Sun last season and is projected to finish second for the 2022 season. Sara Anderson is WSU's player to watch. Last year Anderson finished with an 11-3 doubles record and a 5-4 singles record as the Warriors number six.

Upper Iowa University finished last season with a 2-12 record overall and finished tenth in the NSIC. UIU is projected to finish ninth in the Northern Sun this year. Charalampia Grammatikaki is the Peacocks player to watch after she posted a singles record of 6-2 as UIU's number one during the fall competition.

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 five 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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