Jan. 23, 2007

Columbia, Mo. - The University of Missouri women's tennis team is a little less than a week away from its first spring match, Jan. 27th at Saint Louis. MUTigers.com will take a look back at the fall season, which included the addition of three promising players, the emergence of two good doubles teams, MU's two active seniors gaining valuable experience playing top opponents in fall tournaments and two juniors poised to strengthen the Tigers' lineup.

NOTE: This is the third of four articles on the Mizzou women's tennis team. The last article will take a look at the Tigers' 2007 spring schedule.

Mizzou's two juniors, Charlotte Bellis and Chrissy Svetlic, have two years of college tennis under their belts and will look to help the Tigers build upon a solid fall season.

While only a junior, Bellis is entering her final season with the Tigers, as she is set to graduate in May with a degree in journalism. She came to Mizzou from Christchurch, New Zealand, and has enjoyed success during her abbreviated career in Columbia. In her first two and a half seasons, Bellis has collected 27 singles victories and 28 doubles wins. Her 28-18 doubles record puts her in 10th on the MU career doubles winning percentage rankings. In recent action, she finished the fall season with a winning singles record (7-6) and a winning doubles record (3-2).

Fellow junior Chrissy Svetlic enters her second spring season with the Tigers. Svetlic, a Kansas City, Mo. native, transferred to Mizzou from Northern Illinois University in time for the 2006 spring season. She went 9-8 in 17 singles matches for the Tigers, playing primarily in the No. 5 and No. 6 singles spots. She earned four Big 12 victories last season, and enjoyed a six-match winning streak near the end of the season. She also enjoyed a successful 2006 fall season, earning 11 victories, including four against Big 12 opposition. In doubles competition, Svetlic recorded nine victories last spring while playing primarily in the No. 1 spot with Olshanskaya and Kraftova. She earned seven victories this fall playing with Bellis and Kaitlin Dunham. She and Dunham are expected to play together this spring to round out the Tigers doubles lineup.

The Tigers will begin their season Jan. 27th in St. Louis when they match up against the Saint Louis Billikens, a team they saw several times this fall. The home opener is scheduled for Feb. 3rd against the Arkansas Lady Razorbacks at 1 p.m.