April 19, 2011

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -

Live scoring, brackets, schedule and other information is posted at WCC Tournament Central

Briefly:

This week the Lions will travel south to San Diego for the West Coast Conference Tournament Championship. LMU is 6-15 this season with notable wins over Columbia, Hawaii-Pacific, Cal State Fullerton, and Georgetown throughout the spring. The Lions had a tough schedule where they faced numerous ranked teams, LMU will be looking to use this tough competition experience in the tournament. The Lions also added five newcomers to the team and combined with the experience from three seniors, the Lions will be looking to rally in the tournament to the top of the bracket.

Inside the Lions:

The Lions welcomed five new faces to their roster this season. They have a young, but talented team who's fresh competitive drive has already shown an impact in both their preseason play and so far in their competitive spring season. The WCC recognized the improvements to their roster, picking the Lions to finish 5th in the WCC Preseason Coaches Poll even after going 0-9 in conference last year. The Lions have already seen strong play across the board. Freshmen Reka Rohonyi and Miya Jin have started for the Lions with strong singles play while Rohonyi and doubles partner Pironkova have earned a strong doubles record. In other singles play April Bisharat, a transfer from UC Irvine, Bisharat has played at the Lion's number one position all season recording some big wins over ranked opponents.

Lions to Watch:

The Lions will be looking to snap back from a rough streak in their schedule with a strong showing in the conference tournament. In singles play, April Bisharat has set her record to 11-10 overall this season and has earned big win over ranked opponents in both singles and doubles. In doubles play, Bisharat and partner Melissa Valenzuela have recorded wins over top-50 nationally ranked duos in March and will be formidable opponents in the tournament. In other doubles play, Rohonyi and doubles partner Elisaveta Pironkova have earned some key wins for the Lions this season. Freshman Miya Jin has come through strong in singles play for the Lions and had a four match winning-streak in February. As only a freshman Jin has moved up to play the Lion's number three position. Both seniors Elisaveta Pironkova and Shauna Morgan will provide good experience for the Lions and strong play in both singles and doubles.