DES MOINES, Iowa – The Drake University women's tennis team kicks off its 2018 fall season by hosting the Drake Invitational Sept. 14-16 at the Roger Knapp Tennis Center.

Play begins Friday at 10 a.m. and continues Saturday and Sunday with matches starting at 9 a.m. each day.

The invitational will feature an eight team field including Augustana (SD), Creighton, Drake, Missouri Western State, Nebraska-Omaha, South Dakota, UNI, and Upper Iowa.

Drake returns five players from last season, including sophomore Liza Petushkova who led the Missouri Valley Conference with 19 singles wins. Petushkova was named the MVC Freshman of the Year, and was named to the All-MVC team at No. 2 singles. Also returning is sophomore Megan Webb, who was selected as the All-MVC No. 2 doubles last season. Petushkova and Webb are joined by three other returning players including junior Alex Kozlowski, and seniors Joely Lomas and Kenya Williams.

The Bulldogs welcome a pair of freshman, Kelsey Neville (Antioch, Ill.) and Daria Walczak (Lodz, Poland). Neville was ranked 22nd in the state of Illinois as a senior by TennisRecruiting.net. Walczak was the No. 18 player in Poland, and has won singles and doubles titles in the 18U National Tournament.

Drake also welcomes two transfer student-athletes, Sophia Haleas (Clarendon Hill, Ill.) and Carmen Palumbo (McLean, Va.). Haleas, a transfer from Utah State, posted an 18-8 singles record and a 14-7 doubles record last season. Palumbo transfers from North Dakota where she held the No. 1 singles and doubles spots.

Following this weekend of play, Drake will travel to Minneapolis, Minn. to compete in the Gopher Invitational Sept. 21-23.