Klaschka, a senior from Kaufering, Germany was named to the all-conference singles and doubles teams. It is the second consecutive season Klaschka has been named in singles and doubles.

Freshman sensation Siljestrom paired with Klaschka at No. 1 singles when she arrived on the Middle Tennessee campus in June and was named all-conference with Klaschka. The pairing proved successful as the duo have an 11-9 record and were ranked as high as 39th earlier in the season.

Middle Tennessee women's tennis (7-13) is the No. 8 seed for the upcoming Sun Belt Tournament Tennis Championships. The tournament begins on Friday April 22 at the Mobile Tennis Center in Mobile, Alabama.

The Lady Raiders will face No. 9 seed North Texas (13-9) on Friday at 9.a.m. The winner advances to the second round to play No. 1 seed and 26th ranked South Alabama at 3:30 p.m. Since there isn't a back-draw this year, the losers in the first round are excused from the tournament.

"The seniors (Jennifer Klaschka, Ana-Maria Cibils, Emily Vest) are aware that if they lose in the first round we go home," said Head Coach Neil Stapp. "The past few years we have struggled in the first round and the team's goal is to make it past the first round."

Middle Tennessee is facing North Texas for the second time this season. On March 20, the Lady Raiders defeated the Mean Green 5-2 in Denton, Texas.

"I think we match up well with North Texas," Stapp said. "We won five of the six singles matches and I think that is our strong point. We did lose the doubles point and that is an area I will be stressing before we play them on Friday."

Middle Tennessee has been riding the strong performances of its doubles tandem of senior Klascka and freshman Ann-Kristin Siljestrom. The duo is 11-9 at No. 1 doubles and has anchored the team. Siljestrom has also been impressive in singles as she leads the team with a 15-5 record, playing mostly at the No. 4 singles spot.

Mail to a friend	Print this article
Share on Facebook