ORIENTATION GUIDE: Young tennis team wields experience

Meghan+Cassens+strikes+the+ball+during+double+matches+in+Iowa+States+loss+against+Oklahoma+4-3+on+Friday%2C+April+5%2C+2013%2C+at+Forker+Courts.%0A

Photo: Suhaib Tawil/Iowa State Daily

Meghan Cassens strikes the ball during double matches in Iowa State’s loss against Oklahoma 4-3 on Friday, April 5, 2013, at Forker Courts.

Beau Berkley

With the departure of seniors Ellie Nixon, Jenna Langhorst and No. 1 singles player Simona Cacciuttolo, the ISU tennis team will put its faith in a young, but experienced lineup.

The 2013-2014 roster will feature only one senior, Emma Waites, who went 2-7 during singles conference play and 13-21 overall in singles while playing at the No. 6 spot.

Ksenia Pronina, a junior from Duesseldorf, Germany, played behind Cacciuttolo at the No. 2 singles spot. Pronina ended her season with an overall singles record of 12-20 with two wins coming at the No. 1 position.

With a 16-19 overall record, junior Meghan Cassens finished with the most wins of any Cyclone in 2013. Cassens also finished with 14 doubles wins, tying Langhorst for the most on the team.

Caroline Andersen, Claudia Ortiz and Ana Gasparovic round out the remaining lineup.

The 2013 Cyclones were two wins away from finishing seventh in the Big 12, which would have been the best finish in program history.

Since coach Armando Espinosa took over the coaching duties in 2009, breaking down barriers has become a norm.

The 2011 season marked the first time the Cyclones won a conference meet on the road, defeating Colorado. Just one year later in 2012, Espinosa led the Cyclones to a 6-1 victory against Kansas, the first in 30 years. The 6-1 victory is also the biggest conference win in program history.

Despite the program’s recent successes, the team has never advanced past the first round of the conference tournament, nor have they ever finished higher than ninth in the conference.

The 2013-14 Cyclones will attempt to break down even bigger barriers this coming season.