The ISU tennis team has yet to play a match, but coach Armando Espinosa already likes the way the team is shaping up. With the same roster as last year with a couple of new additions, the team chemistry and confidence is high.

Freshman Anna Garcia and junior transfer Alejandra Galvis are the new additions to the team. The team is excited to start a new year and each member has different expectations for the season.

“An individual expectation is to be faster on the court to try and win all my matches,” Galvis said. “The team expectation is to do better in the conference.”

Looking back to last year, the team was eliminated in the first round of the Big 12 tournament by Kansas, but Espinosa liked the way the team played toward the end. Heading into the tournament, the team experienced a major setback.

“Ana Gasparovic didn’t play, so we were down a player, which doesn’t help,” Espinosa said. “Everyone needs to move up and play a position that they’re not used to.”

Even though the tournament ended with a loss, the team is expected to have a better year with new changes in the future.  

Espinosa has a lot of planning to do with new rules put in place across the NCAA this season. The Intercollegiate Tennis Association approved a new scoring system with no advantage point in any game. When the game goes to deuce, the next point wins the game. This rule is applied in singles and doubles matches.

Another rule change in effect this year is the amount of doubles played in a match. Last season, there were six single and four double matches, but this season, it decreased to six single and three double matches.

Espinosa will be focusing on double pairings because these points usually win the match for the team.

The team will have many chances in September and October to show its skills at invitationals. The Gopher Invitational will take place Sept. 19 to 21 in Minneapolis, Minn., and will be the first test for the women this season.

The team will then travel to South Dakota for a matchup Oct. 3 to 5 before traveling to Stillwater, Okla., from Oct. 15 to 18 for the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Regionals.

Finally, the fall invitationals will end in Houston, Tex., from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2 at the Jason’s Deli Collegiate Invitational. After the fall season, the lineups will be made in single and double matches and the team will prepare for winter and spring season.