SAN ANTONIO (Feb. 11, 2011) - The Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) women's tennis team hopes all of the intense conditioning and preparation pays off as members begin their regular season. The women's team has competed in several tournaments around Texas in the off-season to hone its skills for conference play. Several returning players, and the addition of some new freshmen, comprise a team that Head Coach Sal Castillo is sure will do well, if they continue their hard work.

Returner junior Audrey Alba (at left), is currently playing at number one on the team, now that former number one player, Thea Lonewolf, has graduated from OLLU. Coach Castillo notes that although Alba is having a harder time playing at the number one spot, she is doing a great job of handling the stronger players. "She has consistency," remarks Coach Castillo, something he says is very important for all of his team to master in order to stay in competition with the more seasoned players.

Jessica Perez (at right), also a junior, adds to the list of returners. Tagged as the strongest physical player on the team, she has used the intense conditioning at the hands of Assistant Coach Dante Childs to her advantage. "She has gotten quicker, I expect her to play at number one or two next year," Castillo adds.

Michelle Reyes (at left), a junior from El Paso, rounds out the returners on the roster. Castillo says that Reyes is "One of the best athletes on the court." The fact that she has had to step up after the team lost a few players has made her much more serious about her game. She has been focusing on her technique in order to compete at a higher level. She and Castillo have seen the progression in the quality of her matches.

Freshman Leslie Cooper, a graduate of Holmes High School in San Antonio, is playing at the number four spot on the team. Highly ranked on her high school team, she is already showing promise in collegiate competition. She placed third overall in the Kieth "Doc" Skogman Invitational in September. She also placed third in women's open singles at the HEB Fall Adult Tennis Classic in October. In addition, she picked up the only win against Westside rival St. Mary's University two weeks ago.

Valeria Gonzalez, a freshman from El Paso, also ranked highly on her high school team. She is currently playing in the fifth spot on the team, and is working hard to find her niche in collegiate competition. Castillo says that the hard work will definitely pay off, "She's doing a great job. She isn't used to this level of competition; the important thing is she isn't beating herself."

Castillo comments that the important thing for the women's team is conditioning. "Many people feel like you don't need to be in shape to play tennis; that is not true. Conditioning is very important to being a consistent player, and that's what our players are working on." He also mentioned that one of the challenges facing the Saints is that they are playing one player short, so they automatically forfeit two matches. He stresses to the girls that he does not want them to get discouraged because of a technicality-they just need to play their best tennis.