Jan. 22, 2008

McNeese State's women's tennis team will conduct their first practice for the 2008 season Wednesday. Daily practices will be held at the courts on campus and will begin at 2 p.m. The Cowgirls' season opener is this Sunday, Jan. 27 when the Cowgirls travel to Louisiana-Monroe for a 10 a.m. match. The home opener is Feb. 4 against Louisiana-Lafayette.

Five letterwinners return from a 2007 team that posted a 7-13 overall record and finished 12th in the SLC with a 0-11 record. Returning to the team is senior Natascha Jongeneel, junior Hanna Bihorac and sophomores Inga Efimenko, Petra Gudelj and Victoria Martinez. Newcomers to the team are Florida Southern College transfer Meri Gol Alamo from Barcelonia, Spain and freshman Maria del Rocio Frausto Cornish from Puebla, Mexico.

Former Cowgirl standout Magali Risoleo will be in charge of the squad this season as interim head coach since longtime head coach Pat McCain retired following the 2007 season. McCain headed the Cowgirl program for the past 14 years and won 139 matches and guided the program to 12 Southland Conference Tournament appearances.

In 2004, McCain guided the Cowgirls all the way to the SLC Tournament championship match where they fell to Texas-Arlington. McCain guided the 2005 team to a program best 18 victories and finished third in the SLC with a 8-2 record. She also coached eight all-SLC players (five first team, three second team) including the 1999 Freshman of the Year in Yvonne Bresler and the 2005 Newcomer of the Year in Ann Grobbelaar and the program's only ESPN The Magazine District VI All-Academic selection in Marina Gando. She also coached eight all-Louisiana selections.

Her 2003 and 2004 teams earned ITA Academic All-America honors and her 2004 team earned a regional ranking, ranking 15th in the Southwest Regions final poll.