ORLANDO, FL – It's an exciting week for the University of Mary tennis team as the Marauders will play three games in Orlando, FL, and one game in St. Petersburg, FL, over five days.
The Marauders open against #23 University of Tampa on Thursday, January 29, at 2 pm at the USTA National Campus Tennis Center. UMary (3-0, 3-0 Northern Sun) then challenges NCAA Division I opponent Oakland University on Friday, March 1, at noon.
The Marauders head over to St. Petersburg, FL, where they take on Eckerd College at 9 am on Saturday, March 2. UMary's final contest is against NCAA Division I opponent Bowling Green State University on Monday, March 4, at 11 am.
THE RECORDS
Chloe Chong is 2-1 in #1 singles and 1-2 in #1 doubles competition.
Hala Hossam Awad is undefeated at 3-0 in both #2 singles and doubles competition.
Ilona Freitag is 2-1 in #3 singles and 1-2 in #2 singles competition.
Maria Estinvil is 3-0 in #4 singles and #2 doubles competition.
Emily Needham is 2-1 in #5 singles and 1-2 in #3 doubles competition.
Luba Moyo is 2-1 in #6 singles and 1-2 in #3 doubles competition.
LAST WEEK
The Marauders remained undefeated as they took down Minnesota State University Moorhead 6-1 in their home opener.
Hala Hossam Awad put on a show in #2 singles as she defeated Johnson 6-2, 6-0.
Ilona Freitag took down #3 singles, defeating Gu by a score of 7-5, 6-1.
Maria Estinvil stays undefeated in #4 singles, earning a 7-6, 6-3 win over Bell.
Emily Needham dominated in #5 singles as she defeated Nemmers 6-0, 6-4.
Luba Moyo defeated Isabela Flores 6-2, 6-3 in #6 singles.
CHLOE CHONG NAMED PLAYER TO WATCH
For the third straight year,
Chloe Chong was named the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Tennis Player to Watch for the Marauders. The junior has earned All-NSIC First Team singles honors in her first two seasons at UMary.
Chong is coming off a season where she went 6-3 in singles competition in the NSIC as she competed as the one for the Marauders. The Selangor, Malaysia, native went 7-3 in doubles competition in the conference with her partner
Ilona Freitag. The duo is a two-time Second Team All-NSIC team selection in doubles competition.
NOTABLE RETURNERS
Hala Hossam Awad returns for her sophomore season after earning All-NSIC Second Team singles in her first season at UMary. The Cairo, Egypt, native went 15-1 overall and 11-0 in conference action. Awad suffered her only loss in a close match (6-1, 2-6, 1-0) against an NCAA Division I opponent.
Ilona Freitag and
Emily Needham return for their third years as Marauders. Freitag went 11-5 overall and 8-3 in conference play in her second season. Freitag and
Chloe Chong went 11-5 overall and 7-3 in NSIC matches in 2023, again as the Marauders number-one doubles team.
Battling past a knee injury early in her sophomore season, Needham went 4-8 overall and 3-5 in the NSIC in singles competition. She finished the year strong, winning four of her last five matches. In perhaps her biggest win of the season, Needham defeated Clara Thoemke of Winona State with the season on the line at the NSIC Tournament on April 21.
NEW FACES
The Marauders have added two scholar-athletes as
Luba Moyo and
Maria Estinvil look to compete in the 2024 season. Moyo transferred to UMary from Iowa Central Community College, where she graduated with an Associate of Arts and Science with honors. Estinvil transferred from Chowan University as she competed as the one during her freshman year for the Hawks.
MAARUDERS PROJECTED TO FINISH THIRD
UMary is projected to finish third in the Northern Sun, according to the 2024 NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll. Last season, The Marauders finished third in the NSIC, going 11-6 overall and 9-2 in conference. UMary boasts a six-person lineup with four scholar-athletes returning from last year.
Augustana is projected to finish first, followed by Minnesota State University – Mankato, UMary, University of Sioux Falls, Winona State University, St. Cloud State University, Minnesota State University Moorhead, University of Minnesota Crookston, University of Minnesota Duluth and Bemidji State University.
THE STAFF
Vida Saliendra returns for her 12th year as the UMary Head Tennis Coach. Saliendra has had an impressive career at the helm of Marauders Tennis, riding into 2024 on five consecutive winning seasons. The Marauders are 93-81 with Saliendra as their coach. She is joined by assistant coach
Erik Porter, who is in his second season with the Marauders.
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