WHAT'S AHEAD
The popular 1990's song by Marc Cohn talks about walking in Memphis, and for the Drake women's tennis team that will be its destination as the Bulldogs compete this weekend (Oct. 13-14) in the four-team Memphis Invitational. The tournament includes Drake, Loyola Marymount, Memphis and Tennessee-Martin.
Action gets underway on Saturday (Oct. 13) at 12:15 p.m. and will continue on Sunday (Oct. 14) at 9:00 a.m.
MVC INDIVIDUALS' RECAP
Drake closed its stay at the Missouri Valley Conference Individuals on Sunday (Oct. 7).
In singles, junior Klavdija Rebol (Kranj, Slovenia) came up short in her bid to capture the title at No. 1 as Melanie Delsart of Southern Illinois posted a 6-0, 7-6 victory.
In the No. 6 flight, freshman Maddie Johnson (Onalaska, Wis.) went the distance in her match with Wichita State's Montse Blasco Fernandez before suffering a 6-7 (8), 6-3, 6-4 setback in the championship tilt.
In doubles, the tandem of freshmen Mariel Ante (Riverside, Calif.) and Johnson came up short in their bid for a title in the No. 3 flight dropping an 8-4 decision versus Satjaporn Moahajaroenkul and Fernandez of Wichita State.
DRAKE HEAD COACH PAUL THOMSON
Paul Thomson is in his third season leading the Drake women's tennis program after serving five years (2005-10) as head men's and women's coach at Brevard College in Brevard, N.C.
Thomson led the Bulldogs to a 13-10 mark during his inaugural campaign, including a 4-3 third-place finish in the Missouri Valley Conference and Drake's first winning record since 2006.
During his rookie season guiding the Bulldogs, he mentored then freshman Klavdija Rebol, who became Drake's initial first team All-MVC performer since 2005, garnering all-league accolades at the No. 3 singles position. Manca Krizman was also honored for her play on the court, being named to the All-Select squad by the MVC coaches.
Off the court, Gabriela Demos was honored for the second-consecutive year as a first team MVC Scholar-Athlete selection.
In 2012, Thomson led the Bulldogs to a record-setting 22-7 ledger, en route to a 5-2 second-place finish in the MVC. The 22 victories established a school record for wins and allowed Drake to surpass the 20-victory plateau for only the second time in school history.
The Bulldogs captured their initial postseason triumph since 2006 when Drake advanced to the State Farm MVC Championship semifinals with a 4-1 victory over Northern Iowa.
Five players earned 20 or more singles wins, sparked by Krizman, who posted a team-best 31-5 singles record, which included a 25-match winning streak. Every Bulldog registered a winning singles' record, while all but one Drake player matched the feat in doubles, led by 27 wins courtesy of Demos.
Pulling in MVC All-Select team honors were Krizman and Rebol, while Demos was named to the All-MVC Scholar Athlete first team for the third-consecutive campaign. Collecting honorable mention All-MVC Scholar-Athlete accolades was Krizman.
Drake's senior class of Amanda Aragon, Jessica Aguilera, Demos, Krizman and Earlynn Lauer made its mark on the Bulldogs' program. Demos finished first in school history (since 2006-07) in combined career victories (139), while ranking third in school history (since 1990-91) in career doubles wins (74). Krizman is third in school history (since 2006-07) in combined career victories (126), while Aguilera is rated fourth (120).
UP NEXT
Drake closes out its fall campaign competing at both the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Central Regional (Oct. 19-20) and the Kansas Fall Invitational (Oct. 19-21). The ITA Central Regional is hosted by the University of Tulsa.
