CROOKSTON, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Crookston tennis team lifts the lid on the 2023 season with a pair of non-conference matches against NSIC opponents. The Golden Eagles head to Bemidji, Minn., and the Gillett Wellness Center Thursday, February 2 to take on Bemidji State University. The Golden Eagles will then host St. Cloud State University Friday, February 3 at 1:30 p.m., at Choice Health and Fitness in Grand Forks, N.D.

Minnesota Crookston seeks to improve upon their 2-12 (0-10 NSIC) mark. The Golden Eagles showed vast gains as a team in 2022, picking up their first wins as a team since 2014. Minnesota Crookston is led by Madeleine Schneider (Jr., Gartringen, Germany), who tied Catherine Brown for the most singles wins in a single season. Schneider went 7-7 at the No. 1 slot. Michelle Swyter (Sr., Perham, Minn.) returns after posting a 2-12 record at No. 2 singles. Sarah Velasquez (Sr., Chino, Calif.) comes back to the fold for the Golden Eagles after going 2-12 at the No. 3 singles slot. At No. 4 singles, Tasha Achermann (Sr., Motley, Minn.) went 3-11 in 2022. Samantha Gutierrez (Jr., Riverside, Calif.) returns after posting a 1-11 record at the No. 5 slot. Ashley Chomyn (Sr., Winnipeg, Manitoba) was second on the team in singles wins in 2022. She went 6-2 at No. 6 singles. Kaydance Hinn (So., Coon Rapids, Minn.) is back after going 1-1 at No. 5 and 0-6 at No. 6 singles.

In doubles, UMN Crookston was guided by Hinn and Swyter, who went 3-2 at No. 3 doubles. Hinn also teamed with Achermann to go 3-6 at the No. 3 slot. Swyter and Gutierrez paced UMN Crookston at the No. 2 spot, posting a 2-7 ledger. At the No. 1 spot, Schneider and Velasquez went 2-11.

Minnesota Crookston has added a pair of newcomers for 2023. Kavya Singh (So., Agra, India) comes from West Liberty University, where she picked up three singles wins and two doubles wins in the fall of 2021. UMN Crookston has also added Blaike Zander (So., Bismarck, N.D.), who transfers from University of North Dakota where she was a student. Zander was an All-State performer at Bismarck Century H.S.

Bemidji State
The Beavers come into the week with a 1-1 mark. They went 7-7 in 2022. Bemidji State is guided by Blanca Lopez-Oro with a 2-0 mark at the No. 1 spot. Nicoleta Anestiadi, Laura Burger, and Lexi Leitner are all 1-1 in singles this season. In doubles, the No. 3 pairing of Leitner and Lily Jones is 2-0, while Burger and Lopez-Oro are 1-1.

St. Cloud State
The Huskies are coming off a 9-11 (4-6 NSIC) record in 2022. Arisha Kashima returns to guide St. Cloud State, after posting a 4-12 mark at No. 1 singles. Johanna Brower also returns after going 8-4 at No. 3 singles. In doubles, Olivia Fredrickson and Maria Molitor are back after posting a 5-5 mark at the No. 3 slot last season.