ISU women’s tennis player Edna Vazquez has high hopes for her team for the upcoming season. Individually, big things could also be in store for the Cyclone junior as well. Vazquez returns after playing the No. 2 slot as a sophomore and an eventful summer that saw her play in the Federation Cup international tournament. The Cyclones only play a handful of meets this fall, but Vazquez is still looking forward to the competition. “I’m pretty pumped up about the fall season. I think I’m doing good right now. I just need to play some matches since I haven’t played any in a while. I need to get in the groove with match play and all that, but besides that, I need to work on my regular shots, like ground strokes and volleys,” Vazquez said. Vazquez will have to wait between two to three weeks to get her first match as the Cyclones start the season Sept. 22 to 24 in the St. Louis University Fall Classic. The Cyclones return eight players from last year’s team. “We’re a pretty experienced team. Most of the team has already played one year so we all know how things are in the Big 12 Conference,” she said. Cyclone coach Michele Conlon feels that Vazquez has a strong mental attitude to go along with her solid game. “I think Edna is a very mentally tough player. She’s very focused, and in full concentration – even in practice, and I really feel that she brings those qualities to the team,” said Conlon. Vazquez prefers to play with a serve and volley attacking style that suits her well on hard courts. “I’m the aggressive type. I like to come to the net and put pressure on my opponent to make the shot. It’s a quicker game on hard courts so my style works well,” Vazquez said. While Vazquez likes to come to the net as much as she can, Conlon thinks she’s solid in all areas. “One of Edna’s strengths is her all-court game. Generally speaking, she’s a hard hitter that can rally well from the baseline, and she’s also got good volleys and can hit slice. The diversity in Edna’s game leads to a lot of her success,” Conlon said. Last May, Vazquez took part in the Federation Cup, in which professional players from a large number of nations are represented. Vazquez played for her native Puerto Rico team that competed and got fourth in the 14-team Group 2 bracket in El Salvador. “It was a great experience, very fun. I got to meet a lot of people and played different kinds of styles,” Vazquez said. The fourth place finish didn’t allow Puerto Rico to advance to Group 1 and stay in the running to possibly face the United States. The U.S. team boasted superstars Lindsay Davenport, Monica Seles and the Williams’ sisters. “We didn’t get to go up one more so we’ll work on it next year. I never thought about the United States because we would’ve had to go through Group 1 which is very tough,” said Vazquez. Playing at the No. 2 spot means tough matches ahead for Vazquez, but Conlon knows her player has a chance, no matter who she plays. “Edna can play with someone at any level. If she was to go out against a nationally ranked player, she could compete. You never feel like she’s going to get blown away because of her skills and mental toughness.”