Season Preview Video
2014-15 Schedule
 
DETROIT (1/14/2015) -- Usually a team that does not have any seniors isn't thinking championship, but that is exactly what is on the mind of the University of Detroit Mercy women's tennis team as the Titans open the duel season this weekend.
 
Detroit will start the year on a big stage as UDM travels to face No. 20 Notre Dame on Saturday before heading to Ball State on Sunday. The match-up with the 20th-ranked Fighting Irish squad is believed to be the highest ranked opponent the red, white and blue has ever played.
 
"The good thing is, we have put our program on the map in the Midwest and other teams like Notre Dame want to play us," said third-year head coach and Detroit alum Pjotrs Necajevs '10.
 
The Titans will have seven netters on the roster with three juniors, three sophomores and a freshman as they return a great core from a squad that went 11-8 overall and 5-3 in the Horizon League. All three of the conference losses were by a score of 4-3.
 
Detroit has been one of the top teams in the conference for some time, but nagging injuries have haunted UDM recently and the Titans are looking to get over that.
 
"We need to stay healthy and execute. I know we have the best team in the league, but it's more about staying healthy and producing when we are supposed too. We have good talent, we just need to stay healthy," added Coach Necajevs.
 
Detroit will be led by an extremely talented three-member junior class in Valeryia Kulikovskaya, Irina Slizovskaya and Nino Sujashvili. The trio has been a part of some great moment in their careers, including ending UIC's dominating 146-match conference winning streak in 2013 and helping Detroit to two-straight Horizon League Championship semifinals.
 
"Those three are always the players I rely on," added Coach Necajevs. "All three of them are great players and a great class and we have two more seasons with them."
 
Sujashvili was selected Second Team All-Horizon League as a freshman after going 17-6 in singles and 6-1 in the Horizon league. Last season, she had to battle some injuries and competed in just 10 singles matches, going 6-4, but she rebounded in the fall to record a 9-6 overall record between singles and doubles.
 
Valeryia tallied 22 overall wins as a freshman and came back last year to record a 15-10 singles mark, including 7-1 in the HL at No. 2 and No. 3, while Slizovskaya ended 2014 with second-highest overall singles wins total on the team at 16.
 
"Nino is an aggressive player. She has an aggressive personality and she hits the ball very hard and that is intimidating," said Coach Necajevs. "Lera (Kulikovskaya) is our MVP two years in a row and she always produces a lot for the team in any position we play her out. Irina will probably play top position, top two or top three. She has a great game and players need to really fight to beat her."
 
Sophomores Anna Davydova and Viktoria Laskutova are both back after promising rookie campaigns. Davydova joined the team mid-year and posted an 11-3 singles mark, 5-2 in the HL, while recording another nine victories in doubles. In the fall, she tallied the most wins in singles (6) and overall (11) on the squad.  
 
Laskutova fought through some injuries as a freshman to earn six singles wins, with three apiece at No. 1 and No. 2.
 
"The most important part for Viktoria is to stay healthy. She has huge potential and had great results before she came to college and she really needs to stay healthy," said Coach Necajevs. "Anna is still developing her doubles game, but she is a very strong singles player and brings a lot of things to the table."
 
Two Titan newcomers are on the roster in sophomore Nynke Van Der Goot and freshman Sasha Nionova. Van Der Goot played at South Carolina State last season and was part of a Lady Bulldogs' MEAC title and NCAA team, while Nionova just arrived at UDM for the start of the second semester after a great juniors career in Latvia.
 
"Nynke is going to be a strong addition to our singles line up and Sasha is probably going to play the top position in singles and doubles, especially doubles. She loves doubles," said Coach Necajevs.
 
Detroit will face some stiff competition as it gets ready for a run at the league title. Besides nationally-ranked Notre Dame, the Titans will battle another ranked foe in Tennessee along with local rivals Michigan State, Toledo, Eastern Michigan and Western Michigan, all before the start of league play.
 
"We have Notre Dame, Tennessee and Michigan State so we have ACC, SEC and Big Ten on the schedule and that is huge for the program," said Coach Necajevs. "We have never had such a strong schedule before and it is great preparation for the Horizon League."