Upcoming Event: Women's Tennis at Santa Barbara on January 18, 2026 at Noon (MT)
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Women's Tennis
at Santa Barbara
The University of Utah Athletics
2002 Season Outlook
9/27/2001 12:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Sept. 27, 2001
With a blend of youth and experience the Utes think they have a great shot at winning this season's Mountain West Conference Championship. Head coach John Tsumas believes the conference title is within the Utes reach as they return four letterwinners and adds four top recruits to the roster.
Leading the team this season will be team captain Irini Kotoglou. Kotoglou was undefeated in the conference competing at the No.2 spot, despite battling injuries most of the season. Her victory matches included win over the MWC rookie player of the year, Agniesk Abram (UNLV). Kotoglou is geared up to help lead her team to victory with support from the other team captain, Cassie Kasteler. Kasteler's aggressive "all-court" game and ability to implement strategies should be an asset to the team.
Also returning is Sheri Esrock, who boasted an undefeated record at the 2001 MWC conference tournament in singles. "Sheri is going to be an up and coming leader of this team," states head coach John Tsumas.
Senior veteran Linn Ronnberg also returns for the Utes. She made it to the third round of the MWC Championships. These players are expected to be the anchors for the 2001-02 season.
The Utes unfortunately lost four letterwinners over the course of the summer, but with new recruits they are anxious to get back to their winning ways. Tsumas is extremely pleased with this year's recruiting class. "We were looking for hard working and dedicated young athletes during our recruiting efforts," says Tsumas.
Utah has added five true freshmen to the roster and expects them to make an immediate impact this year. Ellen Svensson, the most accomplished rookie, was a top recruit from Sweden and is expected to make an enormous boost to the team this season. "Ellen comes with a lot of fire and is a very good competitor. She has an incredible amount of tenacity and she always gives 100 percent. We hope her competitive spirit will rub off on the rest of the team," says Tsumas.
The Utes also signed Jennie Esaisson, a freshman from Vaxjo, Sweden. She will train with the team this season as a partial qualifier and will prepare to compete next fall. "Jennie is an outstanding all-court player with great volley skills. We are confident she will help our team improve in the future," says Tsumas.
Allison Hansen, another freshman, was a top Utah recruit. "Allison will add needed depth to this young Ute squad. She should continue to improve and be an impact player, because she is a solid learner with a great attitude," states Tsumas.
Hilary Doyle will join the team after considerable success in high school and after being ranked in the intermountain junior region. Zuzana Misunova, from the Czech Republic, is currently ranked in the women's top 70 in the Czech Republic. The Utes expect Misunova to join the team in January. The Utes have been working hard, and with the newcomers should be very strong in singles matches this season.
The coaching staff believes this year's team has a lot of chemistry and the experienced players will help the incoming freshmen.
"The freshmen this season have a lost of character and are devoted to this team. They all have a very competitive nature and a will to win," says Tsumas.
Utah has always had a proud tradition of winning. It has finished in the top 25 three times in previous years. In the 1988-89 season it was ranked No. 21, in 1989-90 it peaked at No.25, and in 1991-92 it held a No. 23 ranking. The Utes have also had much individual success. With the hire of assistant coach Megan Payne-Dorny, the Utes are hopeful in continuing that tradition. Tsumas feels this is a stride in the right direction. Payne-Dorny was all-conference at the U. and Tsumas expects that she will have a vast impact on this year's season.
Last season the Utes confronted 16 nationally ranked teams. They defeated No. 52 UC Irvine and No. 72 Weber State. The Utes also made good stands in losses to No. 30 Washington (5-2) and No. 37 Fresno State (5-2). The team barely missed the 2001 NCAA tournament after losing to No. 46 New Mexico (4-3) and No. 53 UNLV (4-3) at the 2001 conference championships.
Utah finished fifth in the MWC last season with a 4-6 record, and compiled a 7-14 overall record. "We battled injuries last year and there were many games that came down to the wire, but we had a hard time putting those teams away," says Tsumas.
The 2001-02 schedule consists of ranked opponents once again. No. 15 Northwestern, No. 30 Washington, No. 30 Washington State, No. 32 BYU, No. 43 San Diego State, No. 52 Kansas, No. 62 Purdue and No. 64 Boise State are all on the platter for the Utes.
"We spent the majority of last year on the road, but this year we have a lot of home matches. Those matches include many top ranked opponents. We must take advantage of playing the top ranked teams at home, and finish what we failed to do in the past to ensure a successful season," says Tsumas.
Coach Tsumas believes this season's team possesses a strong work ethic and focus point. "There is a tight bond on this team because none of the players are selfish. They are willing to sacrifice for the team and always show compassion towards each other. Most importantly they are ready to win," says Tsumas.
Utah Women's Tennis 25-26 Pronunciations
Thursday, September 11
Role models. Trailblazers. Legends. Celebrating our #AAPI student-athletes this month and always.
Monday, May 20
Recap: Utah women's tennis defends home court with victory over Oregon
Tuesday, May 14
A Chat with Anastasia and Mat
Wednesday, June 29