No.14 Clemson women's tennis opens with a pair of home matches

CLEMSON — The 14th-ranked women’s tennis team opens the dual match season this week on Friday at 3:00 pm as Florida International comes to the Hoke Sloan Indoor Tennis Center in Clemson. The Tigers have a quick turnaround, as they’ll play at home against College of Charleston on Sunday at 11:00 am.

Both matches are free to the public, and there is live scoring available at ClemsonTigers.com.

This will be the first-ever meeting between Clemson and FIU, as both squads open their respective 2012 seasons. Clemson is 22-1 all-time against the Cougars, including a 7-0 win last season during the heart of ACC play.

Head coach Nancy Harris opens her 15th season at the helm of the women’s tennis program, and has a run of ten straight NCAA Tournament appearances, and five straight showings in the Round of 16. Clemson has finished the season ranked inside the top 20 for the past nine consecutive seasons, and made NCAA Final Fours in 2004 and 2005.

The Tigers are out to claim a tenth ACC Championship, as the Tigers have won nine regular-season titles and eight tournament titles. They’ll try with a balanced group that includes two seniors, one junior, two sophomores, and three freshmen.

Josipa Bek and Keri Wong have earned a combined eight All-America honors and five All-ACC selections among them. They enter this season ranked 8th in the nation in doubles, while Wong checks in at 65th in singles.

Sophomore Klara Vyskocilova is the highest-ranked singles player entering the season at 58th, while Nelly Ciolkowski is 67th overall, and playing excellent tennis entering her junior season.

Clemson has also added three newcomers in Beatrice Gumulya, Romy Kölzer, and Yana Koroleva. Monika Kochanova is also eligible to compete after sitting out the 2010-11 school year.

Clemson has four top-ten opponents on the schedule, and seven of the top 17 teams nationally hail from the ACC, including the Tigers. The Tigers will tune up for the 2012 ITA kickoff weekend on Jan. 28-29, where they’ll host the first two rounds of the ITA Team National Indoor Championships. The winner of the region will travel to Charlottesville, VA for the round of 16.

The Tigers play five in a row at home before heading to Furman on Feb. 1.