The ISU tennis team came bolting out of the gate in the 2013-14 season and raced to an 8-4 record before running into the Big 12 Conference, where Iowa State dropped nine of its final 10 meets to finish the year with a record of 9-14.

Despite a losing record and the disappointment after the team’s loss to Kansas in the first round of the Big 12 tournament, junior and No. 1 singles player Ksenia Pronina said she was more or less satisfied with the progress made over the last 12 months.

“There were some really good moments for the team,” Pronina said. “We had some really good wins, and of course there were a few disappointing matches like Drake, which we could have won.”

The Cyclones were a relatively young team with Emma Waites serving as the only senior on the roster.

Next season, the Cyclones will boast two seniors, Pronina and Meghan Cassens, who played at the No. 3 spot. Along with the return of Pronina and Cassens, sophomore and No. 4 singles player Ana Gasparovic will also be in an ISU uniform again next year.

Three freshmen, Samantha Budai, Talisa Merchiers and Lydia Green, all saw significant court time for the Cyclones in this season, something ISU Coach Armando Espinosa said is encouraging as the Cyclones look ahead to the 2014-15 campaign.

“A lot of development happens between the first and second year,” Espinosa said. “Hopefully after going through the first year, [the freshmen] see what the competition is like and then will be able to mold their games around that.”

Espinosa added that the sophomores-to-be will have to be effective next season for Iowa State to improve on what Espinosa described as a “decent year.”

“The one and two spots [Pronina and Budai] are giving us a chance to win. Now we just have to do better at the bottom,” Espinosa said. “For us to compete in the Big 12, we have to make sure that we can compete and be successful at the lower spots.”

The Cyclones will need to replace Green, as she is the only underclassman on the squad not planning to return next season.

However, Green said, looking back at her time at Iowa State, that the entire year has served as a valuable learning experience for her, which should help her future performance wherever she lands.

“What I learned most is that it is much more competitive than I imagined,” Green said. “It really came down to playing for your team rather than playing for yourself, which is different than what I have done in the past.”

As for the Cyclones, who will remain in red and gold next year, the focus is now set on the future.

“As a team we all hope that we can finally win a round in the Big 12, which would be a huge accomplishment as it has never been done before,” Pronina said. “And having a winning record [would be nice], too. Those are a few things I think about.”