Cougars Set to Defend Conference USA Title
"Our main goal is to defend our conference title," said 1998 Conference USA Coach of the Year Stina Mosvold. "If we can win C-USA again, that will qualify us for the NCAA Regionals and that is where we want to be."
Leading the way for the Cougars in their quest for a second consecutive C-USA crown and third straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament are sophomore newcomer Sarah Borwell and junior Galina Seliounina. Both players are coming off tremendous fall seasons. Borwell and Seliounina finished 12-5 and 10-6, respectively, in singles during the fall season and were ranked nationally in the ITA Fall Rankings. Borwell was ranked second in the Southwest region at the end of the fall while Seliounina was rated ninth.
"Both Sarah and Galina are impact players who should really help pave the way for us this season," Mosvold said. "Sarah is a very strong player with a lot of talent. Her confidence is growing and she possesses a big serve that can be extremely dangerous.
"Galina is a big-time player with all the strokes and a great knowledge of the game," added Mosvold.
Borwell and Seliounina have also proven to be exceptional doubles partners, as the duo amassed a 9-4 record in the fall while earning a No. 25 national and No. 3 regional ranking in the ITA. "Sarah and Galina have started off really well and I expect them to get better as the season progresses," said Mosvold.
In addition to Seliounina, Houston returns four other players from last year's team: seniors Sarah Bolle and Luciane Kelbert, junior Mette Sigmundstad and sophomore Joanna Cunliffe. Unfortunately for the Cougars, they will be without the services of Sigmundstad, last year's team MVP, as she will sit out this season as a result of a foot injury.
In Sigmundstad's absence, Kelbert and Cunliffe will be counted on heavily to provide solid play and consistency at the No. 3 and No. 4 positions. Kelbert has been quite successful in both singles and doubles over her three-year career at UH while Cunliffe has been slowed by injuries since arriving at Houston, but appears primed for a breakthrough season as she enters the spring healthy.
Kelbert and freshman Anke Reints make for a formidable No. 2 team, as they compiled a 6-1 fall record. Bolle, who has excelled in doubles play throughout her career, enters the spring season with 47 doubles victories and will team with Cunliffe at the No. 3 position.
"We have a very good group of players coming back," said Mosvold. "All of them are solid players with plenty of experience which should help our younger players."
Joining Borwell and Reints as first-year players for Houston in 1999 are freshman Kailey Meisinger and sophomore Erin Miller. "We have a talented group of newcomers who I'm excited about coaching," said Mosvold. "With Mette out, we'll need some of our younger players to step up right away. From what I've seen of them thus far, they appear ready for the challenge."
Meisinger, Miller and Reints, in addition to Bolle, will be competing for the final two positions in singles. Meisinger and Reints showed their capabilities during the fall season, when each compiled better than .500 records in singles play.
In 1999, the Cougars will play a regular season schedule filled with highly-regarded teams leading up to the Conference USA Tournament. "We have a very tough schedule," said Mosvold. "However, playing against strong competition will keep us focused on playing good tennis while working toward conference. That was the attitude we had last year and it seemed to work well for us."
With a nice mix of proven returnees and talented newcomers, Houston appears to have the necessary weapons to have another stellar season. "The team has been very supportive of one another," continued Mosvold. "As long as we stick together and keep working hard we'll have a very successful season."