ABILENE - The Wildcats' sixth-ranked women's tennis team begins its 2012 spring campaign this weekend by playing host to the ACU Indoor Classic Friday to Sunday at the Teague Special Events Center.
Opponents for the Wildcats include Prairie View A&M, Sam Houston State, Texas-Permian Basin and Lone Star Conference foe Texas A&M-Kingsville. Matches begin Friday at 5 p.m. with Prairie View A&M vs. Texas A&M-Kingsville and conclude Sunday at 5 p.m. with ACU vs. Texas-Permian Basin.
A previously scheduled match between the Wildcats and McMurry has been postponed to a soon-to-be-announced date.
ACU's spring lineup currently consists of three nationally ranked singles players and two doubles tandems led by junior
Julia Mongin – rated the No. 3 player in all of NCAA Division II by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. Julia and her twin sister Laura, a recent transfer from Delta State, also comprise the No. 24 doubles combination.
Sophomore
Micah Hermsdorf begins the year ranked No. 13 in singles and fourth in doubles with junior
Hannah Kelley, while freshman
Brittney Reed is ranked 33rd.
In her first fall season as a Wildcat, Reed stunned the field at the USTA/ITA South Central Regional Championships by reaching the semifinals where she eventually lost to teammate and No. 1 seed
Julia Mongin. Reed began her tournament run with three consecutive straight-set victories before defeating fifth-seeded Julia Puckhaber of Cameron 6-3, 3-6, 10-8 to reach the semis.
Hermsdorf won several major titles throughout the fall including the South Central Regional Doubles Championship alongside Kelley. The Wildcat duo began the tournament with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Northwest Missouri State's Erica Leston and Stephanie Mannix, and then defeated the fourth and sixth-seeded duos in succession before eliminating the Midwestern State tandem of Kendra Casey and Rozike Van Rensburg 6-2, 7-6 in the semifinals.
Hermsdorf and Kelley topped third-seeded Alicia Perez and Brittni Fausett of Texas Southern 6-4, 6-3 in the regional championship match, which qualified them for the National Small College Championships.
As a singles player, Hermsdorf won the A Singles Flight at the Sooner Invitational following a 7-6 (5), 6-1 victory over OU's Marie-Pier Huet in the finals, and finished as the runner-up in the main draws of the Hoosier Classic and South Central Regional Championships.
Julia Mongin, an ITA All-American in 2011, won the South Central Regional title for the second straight year, this time over Hermsdorf – the only player in the bracket who took her to a third set. The regional title qualified Julia for the National Small College Championships where she finished third out of eight competitors after beating Ioana Ivan of Lynn University, 6-4, 6-4.
In addition to winning the regional singles title, Julia also reached the semifinals of the doubles championship with Laura where they lost to third-seeded Alicia Perez and Brittni Fausett of Texas Southern 7-5, 2-6, 10-4.
Earlier in the fall Julia was invited to compete at the prestigious Racquet Club Invitational in Midland, Texas, this time returning as its defending champion, but a three-set loss to Katie Gater of Rice knocked her out of the main draw.
ACU Indoor Classic Schedule
Feb. 3: Prairie View A&M vs. Texas A&M-Kingsville – 5 p.m.
Feb. 4: ACU vs. Prairie View A&M University – 9 a.m.
Feb. 4: ACU Texas A&M University – Kingsville – 1 p.m.
Feb. 4: Sam Houston State vs. Prairie View A&M – 6 p.m.
Feb 5: ACU vs. Sam Houston State University – 12 p.m.
Feb. 5: ACU vs. Texas - Permian Basin – 5 p.m.
