Oberlin, Ohio - As the second semester is approaching, the Oberlin College women's tennis team is gearing up for their 2012 spring season. The team returns the entire roster from the 2010-11 campaign, except Brie White-Dzuro, who graduated early this past December. The Yeowomen will have a deep roster this year, including five seniors, who have contributed a lot to the program's successes over the last three years.

The Yeowomen's top returner is three-time All-NCAC First-Team Selection Ariel Lewis. The Vacaville, California, native enters the 2012 season ranked 12th in the Central Region. Lewis is a two-time national tournament qualifier, and was named a ITA All-American last year. She is 73-25 in her career and is poised to have a big senior year.

The rest of the Yeowomen's senior class will look to continue their success going into their final season. Two-time All-NCAC honorable-mention selection in singles, Finley Gates will look to be in the top of the lineup in both singles and doubles again this year, just as she has her entire career. She has totaled 74 career wins, with 40 of those coming in doubles play. Emily Thebaut, Rebecca Brown and Carolyn Ball will also likely make strong contributions in the line-up again this year, much like they have done in the past. In two-plus seasons, Ball has recorded 30 wins in singles play.

Junior Preeya Shah has been in the middle of the lineup for her first two years and will look to contribute much of the same for her third season. A All-NCAC honorable-mention selection a season ago, Shah combined for 25 wins.

Sophomore Brenna Sheldon is another strong addition to the Yeowomen lineup. She spent most of her freshman year sidelined due to injury, but was able to show glimpses of dominance when she was healthy enough to play last year.

Freshman Grace Porter had an impressive fall and showed that she was skilled enough to play tennis at the college level. She will likely contribute in a big way this year and has a good chance to play high in lineup in singles and doubles. Fellow classmate Emily Fuller will add depth to the roster and will look to gain valuable experience for upcoming years.

Head coach Constantine Ananiadis is very excited for his team this season. They return a ton of experience and are looking to improve off their finish from last year. They will face stiff competition as the NCAC added DePauw, who is an annual top 10 team. He feels that they have the potential to make the NCAC final this year for the first time in recent history, and will be competitive in all matches.

The Yeowomen open their spring campaign this Saturday at the John W. Heisman Club Field House with a doubleheader against Baldwin-Wallace and Malone. The Yeowomen will first take on the Yellow Jackets at 9 a.m., before taking on the Pioneers at 4 p.m.