University of North Texas Athletics
Mean Green Ready To Build On Last Season's Success
8/23/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
How much things have changed over the course of just one year for the North Texas women’s tennis team. This time last season the Mean Green was getting set to start the season with just one returning letterwinner and unsure of what to expect. In retrospect, the Mean Green should have expected alot. Now, with all but one player returning from last year’s squad, NT knows exactly what it has and expectations have risen after coming off the program’s best season in 17 years.
The Mean Green compiled a 15-12 record last season, its highest victory total since the 1986-87 team won 15 matches as well, on its way to receiving its highest seed ever in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament. NT will ride the momentum of last year’s success into the upcoming year, not to mention that of the last three under head coach Dawna Prevette. The Mean Green has reached double figures in the win column the last three years, the first time the feat has been accomplished in school history. Prevette’s recruiting classes have helped lead the team to 39 combined victories over the last three seasons, the most wins over a three-year stretch for the program since winning 48 from 1985 through 1987.
Considering that the best season of the past three year’s was the last and that the Mean Green returns six players with double figure wins and three that reached 17 or more from that team, good things look to be on the horizon for North Texas.
With three seniors and one junior on the roster, North Texas should have plenty of leadership and maturity among its players.
Krysta Lee, the Mean Green’s No. 1 player from a year ago, leads the way in 2004-05. The senior standout was named the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week on Apr. 21 after defeating the nations 97th ranked player and won 11 matches in flight one last season. Those 11 wins ranked as the 11th most in the program’s 26-year history for a player in the top flight. Fellow senior Ashley Sammis is coming off her third consecutive season with at least 12 wins and now has 47 career victories, the most on the team. Rounding out the senior class is Holly Lee. Used mainly in doubles competition last season, Lee went 12-10 in flight three matches with teammate Megan Schmulbach.
The only junior on the roster, Ingrid Stockinger tallied a team-high 18 wins that included 15 in flight five and six combined.
A pair of sophomores in Kelli Royer and Megan Schmulbach, who were part of Prevette’s largest recruiting class since arriving at North Texas, came on to the scene strong for the Mean Green and finished their freshman campaigns with 17 wins each. Royer represented the team’s No. 2 player last year, posting an 11-11 record in flight two. Schmulbach played in flights three, four and five, but saw her most action in the fourth flight with an 8-6 record in those matches. Katherine Harris also returns for her sophomore season after being named the 2004 ITA Scholar Athlete of the Year. Harris went 13-22 last season, but did her most damage in the top doubles flight with teammate Krysta Lee. The duo won 16 matches in flight one, the third most in school history by a No. 1 doubles team. Lee and Harris were listed 10th in the final Southwest Region rankings.
The Mean Green will also receive the services of highly touted freshman Aziza Aba Butain, out of The Meadows School in Las Vegas, Nevada. Aba Butain was the runner-up at state in doubles and singles as a sophomore and junior. She attempted to play at state as a senior, but was hampered by an injury and received fourth place after having to withdraw from the tournament.
The Mean Green will look to get off to the same fast start it did last year, which included tying the program’s best record ever through 12 matches at 9-3, when it opens the spring season at home against Texas State on Feb. 4. NT will play 10 home matches for the second consecutive year, which is the most since hosting 11 contests in 2000. In addition to hosting 10 head-to-head matches at Goldfield Tennis Center, North Texas will also host the Mean Green Invitational Sept. 17-19 to begin the fall portion of its schedule. That schedule includes matches with six Sun Belt Conference opponents before the conference championships, set for Apr. 22-24.
