OU Women's Tennis Prepares For Season Opener

Jan. 28, 2002

NORMAN, Okla. - The University of Oklahoma women's tennis team embarks on its 2002 season with a match against Southern Nazarene on Friday, Feb. 1, in Oklahoma City. Match time is set for 1 p.m. at the Woodlake Country Club located at 6901 NW 63rd St. Admission is free.

Three Returners and Five Newcomers Comprise 2002 Squad
Oklahoma has a young squad in 2002 with only three returning juniors, Annette Bryntesson, Joni Helleland and Melissa Mendieta. Johnson added five newcomers to his roster, including Romania natives junior Elena Jirnova and sophomore Anda Perianu, and freshmen Jessica Braver, Bethany Griffin and Heather Saluri, who are coming off impressive prep careers in Oklahoma, Texas and Iowa, respectively.

The University of Oklahoma Headington Family Tennis Center
The Sooner men's and women's tennis teams will play in the newly constructed OU Headington Family Tennis Center this spring. After several years of playing on unfamiliar courts and not having a place to call home, the Sooners will compete on some of the finest courts in the state of Oklahoma.

The new tennis center is equipped with 12 NCAA championship courts and NCAA championship lighting. There is permanent seating for up to 800 spectators. The center is located at the corner of Chatauqua and Imhoff, directly south of the OU Soccer Complex.

2001 in Review
The Sooners are coming off a 6-13 overall finish, only Johnson's second season to finish under the .500 mark, the last being a 9-11 performance in 1992. Five Sooners were named to the Academic All-Big 12 team. Tiffany Streeter and returners Joni Helleland and Melissa Mendieta were named to the first team, while Viviana Mracnova and returner Annette Bryntesson earned second team honors.

The women's team said good-bye to two seniors, Stephanie Sajbert and Viviana Mracnova. Sajbert was a member of four ITA Academic All-America teams, while Mracnova was a three-time ITA Academic All-America team member and All-Big 12 doubles selection as a senior.

Mark Johnson Begins 14th Year of Coaching
Head Coach Mark Johnson prepares for his 14th year of coaching women's tennis at Oklahoma. He carries a 207-103 record and led his 1999 team to the championship match at the Big 12 Tournament, earning Big 12 Tri-Coach of the Year honors. Johnson has also coached five consecutive teams to ITA Academic All-America team honors dating back to the 1997 season.

Johnson was named Big Eight Coach of the Year in 1991, 1994 and 1995 after leading his teams to a combined 60-16 record in those three years. He has coached three NCAA doubles qualifiers in Nicole Kenneally and Jenny Del Valle (1994), Monique Malan and Karla Golfin (1996) and Angela Stroup and Viviana Mracnova (2000), and two singles qualifiers in Nicole Kenneally (1994) and Raluca Gheorghe (1998).

University of Oklahoma Athletics

OU Women's Tennis Prepares For Season Opener

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