Story written by Allie LeClair

The graduating members of the Drake women's tennis team all used the same word when describing their experience as a Bulldog, memorable.

This weekend's final two home matches against Bradley and Illinois State will cap off the playing careers of seniors Jessica Aguilera (Santa Cruz, Bolivia), Amanda Aragon (Fort Collins, Colo.), Gabriela Demos (Chesterfield, Mo.), Earlynn Lauer (Wichita, Kan.) and junior Manca Krizman (Solkan, Slovenia) at the Roger Knapp Tennis Center.

Coming in their freshman year, all five women were determined to make an impact on the court during their tennis careers and their stats are one way they have proven they have done just that.

Aguilera sits fourth in school history (since 2006-07) in combined career victories with a 115-95 record, including winning the No. 4 MVC Individuals singles championship her junior year. When asked what her favorite memory would be over the past four years, Aguilera couldn't pinpoint just one.

"I have many favorite memories," said Aguilera. "I would pick the ones where I was spending time with good friends and people who I have became close with."

Aragon is just one of the members of the team that has contributed to Aguilera's memories. During Aragon's four-year playing career she posted 101 career wins and is currently serving as one of the tri-captains this year. As a captain, Aragon has taken on a leadership role and if she were to give an incoming freshman advice, it would be to enjoy every second and keep it positive, the whole experience goes by way too quickly.

Although the team has put in endless hours of hard work, Demos says it has all paid off.

"Being a student athlete is really tough and even though you may feel like you're missing out on a lot of normal college experiences, the memories you make with your team and the friendships you form are unprecedented and make all the hard work worth it," said Demos.

The past four years, she has posted a 128-104 combined record, was named a first-team All-MVC Scholar-Athlete team selection in 2010 and 2011 and is first in school history (since 2006-07) in combined career victories.

Not all of their memories have come from the winning matches. One of the most profound memories that Lauer has came from one of her closest matches.

"I had my closest match with her (Hannah Esker, Illinois State) at the MVC Individuals tournament," said Lauer. "And even though I lost, it gave me the confidence to know that I could play at this level."

And with the confidence Lauer gained, winning matches did come. Lauer has posted a 54 career wins over her four years. In the fall of her junior year, she tied for the team lead with seven singles triumphs en route to an 11-7 combined singles/doubles mark.

With only having three years on the court, Krizman, a junior, who is graduating early, made a lasting impact on the courts.

She has been named MVC Player of the Week twice this year and owns a 116-64 record in her career.  Krizman is third in school history (since 2006-07) in combined career victories and was the No. 2 MVC Individuals singles champion in 2011. Although she has a lot of success on the courts, she doesn't take all of the credit for them.

"With Coach Thomson, I think we have done a great job with changing our mentality a bit and building on our confidence," said Krizman. "Coach has helped us realize that we can compete with any team that we play and that we are capable of achieving some great results."

In the final season of their careers, these women have contributed to 17 wins so far this season. Drakeh head coach Paul Thomson believes these women have something special.

"I am proud of each and every one of them," said Thomson. "All five of these girls will leave a lasting impression on me and a strong legacy for the future of this program."