Jan. 26, 2004

Columbia, Mo.- The University of Missouri tennis team opens up the spring season against Northern Iowa and Eastern Illinois Saturday. A successful run in fall tournaments gives the team momentum for the season.

Four Mizzou players earned spots on the ITA Central Region Rankings. Senior Urska Juric leads the Tigers with a third-place singles ranking, while junior Katka Sevcikova came in as the 14th-ranked player. Freshman Yelena Olshanskaya starts off her first season ranked 28th and 2003 Big 12 Freshman of the Year, Hana Kraftova, rounded out the list ranked 30th.

The Tigers start the season at 9:00 am against Northern Iowa followed by a 2:00 pm match against Eastern Illinois at the Green Tennis Center at Mizzou.