Women's Tennis Opens 2010 Season with Three Home Matches

Sophomore Elena Ivanova picked up the only win for the Spartans.

1/21/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis

Jan. 21, 2010

Assistant Coach Shelley Godwin

EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State women's tennis team opens dual play when it first hosts Akron on Friday, January 22, at 4 p.m. then a doubleheader on Sunday, January 24, against Cleveland State at 12 p.m. and Detroit at 4 p.m. All three matches will be played at the MSU Indoor Tennis Facility.

The Spartans
The women's tennis team participated in four fall tournaments including the Wildcat Invite and the ITA Midwest Regional Championships, both in Evanston, Ill., as well as the Spartan Invitational and Purdue Invitational.

MSU sent five Spartans to compete at the ITAs, senior Christine Milliken (Traverse City, Mich.), junior Whitney Wilson (Evansville, Ind.), sophomore Elena Ivanova (Moscow, Russia) and freshmen Amy Barton (Brisbane, Australia) and Nicole Herzog (Manillia, Brazil).

The Spartans return seven players from last season and welcome five freshmen to the lineup, Barton, Herzog, Renata de Paiva (Belo Horizonte, Brazil), Michelle LeBlanc (Mason, Mich.) and Michaela Silesova (Topolcany, Slovakia).

Additions to the Spartan Staff
Shelley Godwin joins the Spartans as the new assistant coach for the 2009-10 season. The University of Alabama graduate compiled an impressive resume prior to coming to MSU, including an internship with the Southeastern Conference (SEC). She also served as a tennis instructor at the Alabama Tennis Camps during the summers over the course of her tenure and compiled 88 singles and doubles victories throughout her career.

Mid-Season Changes
The Spartans welcome two newcomers to the lineup, Michaela Silesova (Topolcany, Slovakia) and Renata de Paiva (Belo Horizonte, Brazil). Both joined the roster after the fall and will play their first match with the Green and White against Akron.

Former volunteer assistant coach Missy Wright, will now fill the position of the women's tennis team psychologist at the start of the dual season and former Spartan Ana Milosavljevic will fill the volunteer assistant coaching position.

Around the World
Of the 12 girls on the women's tennis roster, six different countries are represented; Brazil, Slovakia, Russia, Australia, France and the United States of America. Barton hails from Brisbane, Australia while classmates Renata de Paiva and Nicole Herzog join the Spartans from Belo Horizonte, Brazil and Manillia, Brazil, respectively. Junior Manon Noe comes to East Lansing from Liancourt, France, while Elena Ivanova is from Moscow, Russia and Michaela Silesova hails from Topolcany, Slovakia.

The Spartans are also represented by four different states; Texas, Indiana, Michigan and Georgia. Kate Bonnen joins MSU from Austin, Texas, Dana Guentert is from Lilburn, Ga., while Michelle LeBlanc and Ashley Stockwell hail from Mason and Okemos in Michigan, respectively.

Among the coaching staff, head coach Simone Jardim from Santa Maria, Brazil, assistant coach Shelley Godwin comes from Birmingham, Alabama, and former Spartan, and new volunteer assistant coach, Ana Milosavljevic arrives from Johannesburg, South Africa.

2008-09 Season Wrap-up
Michigan State finished last season with an 8-16 record. The Spartans lost strong players in Stephanie Kebler, Ana Milosavljevic and Marianne Eelens to graduation.

Spartans in the Classroom
For the fourth consecutive season, the women's tennis team was named to the 2009 ITA All-Academic Team and had four Spartans were named to the Scholar Athletes list. The four who received the honor were Marianne Eelens, Dana Guentert, Lindsey Lonergan and Christine Milliken.

Eligibility for the team award is based on a cumulative team grade point average of 3.20 or higher. The average team grade point average must include student-athletes who have competed in one or more varsity matches for the current academic year and whose names appear on the NCAA eligibility form.

Akron
This match marks the first match of the 2010 season for Akron. Akron and MSU met three times during the fall of 2009 at the Spartan Invitational, the ITAs and the Wildcat Invite. The Zips finished the 2008-09 season with a 15-8 overall record and are coached by Jeffrey Wyshner, who is currently in his fourth season.

Cleveland State
CSU opened the season against Big Ten counterpart Ohio State on January 19, falling 7-0. The Vikings were last in East Lansing for the Spartan Invitational held during the fall of 2009. Cleveland State is coached by Brian Etzkin, who is currently in his eight year.

Detroit
Detroit is coached by Sam Poole, who is leading the Titans for the first time this season. Last time out, Detroit faced Eastern Michigan and fell 6-1, on January 19, which marked its opening match of the 2010 season. Detroit was last in East Lansing for the Spartan Invitational during the fall of 2009.

Up Next
MSU will hit the road as they travel to Orlando, Fla. to take on UCF on January 29, at 4 p.m. and then Florida Atlantic on January 31, at 10 a.m.