MACOMB, Ill. – The Western Illinois (1-3) women's team continues non-league action against St. Ambrose (0-0) on Friday (Feb. 15).
The match will be played in Davenport, Iowa with first serve at 6:30 p.m. and will be the spring opener for St. Ambrose as last season they finished 4-12.
LAST TIME OUT: The Leathernecks traveled to the Show Me state where they lost to host Missouri State 4-0 on Feb. 8 and 6-1 against Creighton Feb. 9.
Despite the loss to the Bluejays, Freshman Camryn Rossa highlighted the road trip by earning her first victory of the spring season in the No. 6 singles match against Gabby O'Connor.
FRESH FOUR: This season freshmen Anouk Maajong, Mia Melnizki, Rossa and Megan Tagaloa all suit up for the Purple and Gold for the first time to make their college debuts. All four have already earned their first collegiate victory this past fall. Tagaloa also was tagged as Summit League Preseason Watch List.
COACHING SUCCESS: Fourth-year head coach Mirko Bjelica looks to keep the trend of improving each season. Last year, he coached the Leathernecks to a 10-8 overall record and 2-2 mark in Summit League play to earn a bid to the postseason tournament for the first time in four years. Bjelica has added more wins to the program each season and helped snap 34-match conference losing streak.
ITA RECOGNITION: In the classroom last year, women's tennis recorded the highest term grade point averages in the Leatherneck Athletic Department. The team boasted a 3.816 GPA in the spring semester with three student-athletes posting a perfect 4.0 GPA. For their efforts, the Intercollegiate Tennis Association named Western Illinois an all-academic team while individually acknowledging Ballesteros, Ana Bjelica and Mary Bjelica as ITA scholar-athletes.
UP NEXT: Three in-state teams remain the Leathernecks' final test before the start of Summit League play as the Purple & Gold travels to Bradley (Feb, 23), Quincy (March 1) and Illinois State (March 2).
