IRVINE, Calif. – UC Irvine women's tennis dual season gets going this week with head coach Elizabeth Ferris Smith back for her eighth season at the helm.
 
Here are three things the team is excited about with inside from Ferris Smith.
 
DEPTH OF THE ROSTER
Unlike seasons past, the Anteaters return 12 faces from last season that build their 2024 roster. Graduate student Jenna Schlatter returns for her fifth season with UCI as the most veteran leader of the squad followed by seniors Emily Fowler and Mia Totah.

Junior Kayla Meraz, who was on the roster last season, enters into her first year of action in 2024 and was chosen by her teammates as a captain.
 
All eight sophomores in Carolyna Fowler, Asha Gidwani, Mikaela Hinton, Hailey Huynh, Nour Khayat, Amanda Perez, Larissa Teramura, and Cydney Yamamoto return with gained experience into the upcoming campaign.
 
FAMILIAR FACE
After graduating from the team last season, a familiar face can be seen on the sidelines for UC Irvine this season. Alyssia Fossorier has joined the Anteater coaching staff as a volunteer assistant coach. Fossorier plans to use her experience gained from her five years on the court to help guide her former teammates to victory.
 
TOUGH MENTALITY
In a 21-dual match schedule, UCI will face tough competition opening the season. The Anteaters will be on the road for their first two matches before returning to Irvine for a two-match home stand (Feb. 8 and Feb. 10). Besides a three-game stint in Northern California, UCI will also trek out to Chicago in the beginning of March before going out to New Jersey at the end of the same month to compete against high level schools. The 'Eaters have geared their practices on how to tackle these strong competitors to do whatever it takes to get the result they are looking for.

"We will be tested with some stiff competition right off the bat, and we will be ready for it! This team is shaping up to be gritty, disciplined, and tough. We will need to especially keep that mentality as we head into another challenging Big West conference season." 
 
UCI opens duals play on Jan. 18 on the road at USC with a 4:00 p.m. start.