With no seniors, the ISU women’s tennis team is looking for leadership from its returning players and needs a strong start from its two freshmen, Chrissy Derouin and Caitlin Loprinzi.

The racquet-swinging women got their fall season off to a start last weekend in the Twin Cities.

It was the team’s second trip to the Gopher Invitational.

Head coach Michele Conlon said the fall season gives the team a chance to get a feel for each other in a low-pressure situation.

The fall season is all individual, no team scores are counted, and no teams are ranked until the beginning of the more competitive spring season.

There are 300 teams nationally, and Iowa State hasn’t had a ranked team since 2002, when the Cyclones worked their way to a 68th ranking, Conlon said.

During the weekend, Derouin opened her collegiate career winning three of four singles matches and two of three doubles matches with partner Charlotte Ljungkrantz.

Minnesota natives Loprinzi and sophomore Jill Palen paired up in the Wild doubles flight to capture three ISU doubles wins. Palen also claimed victory in three of her four single matches.

The trip was one of four scheduled tournaments for the women’s tennis team this fall.

In addition to being ranked at the national level, Conlon also said she would also like to see her players move up in the pack in the Big 12; with the depth the new freshman are bringing to the team, this might be the year to do it.

“We’re very strong all around,” sophomore Danielle Uscinski said. “We’ve got a lot of depth this year, and we’re eager to do well this fall. The freshmen are determined to do well and compete on a collegiate level.”

With the addition of the two freshmen to the lineup, the current roster sits at seven players, one more from last year’s number.

The added player gives the team more choices when it comes to setting the lineup in the spring, Conlon said.

The extra member will also provide competition and intensity at practice.

“Our depth is going to be our strength,” Conlon said.

“We’re solid all of the way through.”

Both Uscinski and teammate Elizabeth Chermel agreed that taking care of their injuries was going to be important this season.

“It’s a more explosive game than it used to be,” Conlon said.

Uscinski said she competed last weekend with a stress fracture in her left foot that has slowed her practice pace significantly.

Chermel has been taking it easy and stretching while she works out the discomforts associated with IT Band Syndrome, which affects the knees.