Seattle University becomes the sixth member of the conference in the sport of women's tennis, joining Chicago State University, New Jersey Institute of Technology, University of North Dakota, University of South Dakota, and University of Texas-Pan American. The women's tennis team joins the men's and women's cross country teams, men's and women's indoor track and field squads, and men's and women's outdoor track and field teams as an associate member of the Great West Conference.
"Coach (Mark) Frisby is very enthused about joining the Great West Conference," Bill Hogan, Seattle U Director of Athletics, said. "We now have seven of our 19 sports in the Great West Conference and look forward to competing with the other Division I schools in the league."
"This is a great opportunity for our girls. It will help me as a coach to have something to shoot for at the end of the year. We faced Chicago State, NJIT, and UTPA two years ago at the independent tournament, and we are scheduled to face North Dakota and South Dakota this season, so we should be familiar with all our league opponents heading into the conference tournament," head women's tennis coach Mark Frisby said.
Texas-Pan American captured the league's inaugural title last May by defeating North Dakota in the championship tournament finals. Chicago State will host the 2011 Great West Conference Women's Tennis Tournament April 29-30.
The Seattle University women's tennis team finished the 2010 season with a 9-11 record, including two victories over Portland State and one over South Dakota as well as a second place finish at the National Independent Tournament. Six players who made significant contributions to the squad are expected to return, giving Frisby an experienced squad to work with for the 2010-11 campaign.