YOUH IS SERVED: 2009 VCU WOMEN’S TENNIS OUTLOOK
Rams Kick Off Season Jan. 23-24 with 4x1 Invitational

The VCU Women’s Tennis team has spent the last three seasons establishing the Rams as one of the nation’s preeminent programs in the country. Behind a series of All-Americans and spectacular upperclassmen like Tatsiana Uvarova, Marianna Yuferova, Olga Borisova and Viktoria Konstantinova, VCU plowed its way to 68 victories and three NCAA Tournament appearances.

In all, the Rams have made five NCAA appearances in the last seven seasons under Head Coach Paul Kostin. However, this season, the brand-names are gone, and Kostin is being asked to build a winner again. No matter, Kostin, who has directed his teams to more than 800 victories the last quarter century, is confident VCU is here to stay.

“We lost our top two players from last year,” Kostin said. “Of course any time you lose an All-American like Uvarova, it’s going to hurt. She was one of the best players in the country.

We have a young team this year. We don’t have any superstars, but they’re all good, solid players. It’s a good group of girls who really work hard.”

There are no seniors on this team, so juniors Laura Burns and Olena Leonchuk (left), as well as sophomore Kateryna Yergina (right), will be asked to lead the way. Each was outstanding in her own right last season.

Burns, who starred primarily at the No. 4 and 5 positions, led the Rams with 21 victories. Yergina, meanwhile, leaped into the No. 2-4 slots as a 17-year-old freshman in 2008 and forged a 16-4 record. Leonchuk was 16-12 in singles play, including a 6-2 mark on the No. 3 court.

There are also four new faces for VCU. Twins Alex and Ana Bara, Mihaela Bunea and Lisa Dyke all joined the Rams prior to the fall season. Ana Bara was impressive out of the gate, registering a 6-3 singles record. Bunea went 5-3, while Alex Bara was 3-4.

Despite the VCU youth movement, Kostin remains committed to his core goals.

“For us, it’s the same every year,” Kostin said. “We’re going to try to go to the NCAA’s and compete for a CAA title.”