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Isabel Bos will be joining the women's tennis team in January. She is a very talented player from Holland. Should play in the starting line-up immediately, and contribute in large part to her strong mental and physical game. The team looks strong enough now to reach their goal of top 50 this year, and a repeat conference title. http://www.meangreensports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=1800&ATCLID=205033721

Plays like Sanchez-Vicario. A fighter. Will replace Idalina Franca, who graduated a few yrs ago, winning 80% of her matches in the middle of the line-up. She'll be a "tough-out". Laredo girl: NCAA issues playing NAIA

So Close!! At one point, the match was tied at 2 pts apiece, and #5 (Kazarova) was up 3-0 in the third; #1 (Paraschiv) was serving at 2-1 (30-love) in the third; And #2 (Ranganathan) had just come back from down 5-2 in second to make it 4-5, break point. So close. Paraschiv was fighting illness, and nearly passed out after the third point of the fourth game in the third, requiring medical attention. She never recovered. Kazarova lost her lead, but was still in command, and would have won her match. Ranganathan missed an open court down-the-line shot that would have made it 5-5 in the second. So close. Next year could be very special. Denver loses 4 players. South Alabama is not allowed to recruit international players for the next two years (NCAA violations on the men's side that affects all programs at USA). Should be FIU and UNT battling for supremacy next season.

Lamar played "the match of the season, so far" according to their coach after the match. Bad style match-ups occurred with the singles losses, and the girls were all playing up because of #2 out with injury and #5 (Kazarova) originally out, but inserted after doubles at #6. With that said, UNT was up 4-1 before losing two tight three-setters (#6 Joubert playing up at 4 and #7 Wilhelm playing up at 5). Against NMSU, which UNT won 5-2, and was played indoors, injuries and sickness played a part once again. Paraschiv was injured and did not play doubles. This had a big impact on the match-ups and UNT ended up losing a close doubles point to good NMSU teams. Paraschiv was re-inserted in singles after #1 Ranganathan became ill during and after doubles, and was pulled from singles. Paraschiv played hard, but was hindered by her leg injury and fell to a solid #1 from NMSU. That was the only hiccup as #2-6 dictated play and won. A little unsure what is happening with #1 and 2 players as they are continuously fighting injuries, sickness, and motivation. Both were top 150 ITF, and should be more hungry than what is seen. With that said, bottom players have stepped up and salvaged some matches that could have gone bad. Should have a solid showing against Stetson and a battle against UCF next week.

The team had a stretch of "bad timing" last week, as 5 of the 6 starters came down with the flu. Ranganathan only played one doubles match, and Cruz had to sit out a singles match. Most were no better than 50-70% playing ability. Very unfortunate considering the importance of the weekend. The public will only see that UNT lost badly to Tech and MSU, but will not know the reason why. No doubt that the girls would have beaten Tech and had a good shot at beating MSU had they been healthy.

Dinuta is taking intensive english courses this semester, and depending on her results, will become eligible to play in Jan.

Paula lost in the second round, but is quite rusty, having spent the last several months finishing school and studying for toefel. She is a lucky loser,however, and will play first round today, and doubs Tuesday.

tennis team will be strong in 07/08. With the girls coming in and those remaining, the goals for the team should be to vie for the conference championship and finish the year nationally ranked. Will be an amazing turnaround, after finishing 2 and something this spring. The team should win 15 to 20 matches next year. Many of the incoming players are young, but very talented. There will be some leadership on the team, however. Franca will return as a senior. She is a warrior, and a good mentor to the younger players. Moreton will be a junior and is fast on her way to rehabing her injuries. Two transfers, one from the SEC, and one from a small school, will provide depth and maturity. The small school transfer is an unbelievable talent, and may play #1. The indian recruit might have something to say about that! Looks like the incoming class is one of the top classes in the conference, and better than most in the country.

The tennis team is building a strong foundation, beginning with the growth of the current players. Schmulbach, Aba Butain and Franca have all shown marked improvement this fall. Giles and Moreton will be missed if their injuries prevent them from playing in the spring. Noriega will be a strong addition to the team in the spring, as she was top five in Peru last year. She is a fighter with a big game. a DII transfer will add to the team's strength as will a nice "find" on campus. The signees for the fall '07 is arguably the best class of recruits UNT has had. One or more of them could break into the nat'l rankings next year. The team has a bright future - enjoy the ride girls - should be fun!