EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - Following one of the most successful fall seasons in the program's Division I era, SIUE tennis is set to open the spring season with a pair of road matches at Valparaiso on Saturday before closing the trip with a Sunday morning match at Chicago State.
 
No live stats or live video will be available for either match.
 
So About Last Season
The Cougars put together the first 10-win season of Head Coach Adam Albertsen's tenure at the helm in 2021, putting together a 10-7 overall record and a 3-4 mark in OVC play.
 
The Cougars were led in 2021 by then-true freshman Jordan Schifano, who earned Second Team All-OVC honors with an impressive 13-3 record in singles play. SIUE also saw contributions from Nicole Gomez, who put together a 10-2 record in singles play. The doubles squad of Jill Lambrechts and Maria Thibault proved to be the Red & White's most potent pair, going 7-3 overall.
 
The Cougars graduated just one player from last season in Edwardsville native Callaghan Adams. Adams finished her career with 50 singles wins over her five seasons at SIUE.
 
Here Come the Cougars
Head Coach Adam Albertsen enters his fourth season at the helm in 2022 looking to continue the trend of consistent improvement. The Cougars have improved in non-conference and OVC play in each of his first three seasons as Head Coach.
 
SIUE will be tested early and often this spring, as Albertsen has put together one of the most competitive schedules in the program's Division I era. The Red & White will face off against a trio of Missouri Valley Conference foes and four in-state rivals, as well as the program's first matchup against a FBS opponent since February 2, 2020 when the Cougars head to the Bluegrass State for a fixture at Western Kentucky. 
 
The highlight of the Cougars' non-conference slate will come over Spring Break, when SIUE will head to Orlando for a pair of neutral-site matches against Radford and Sacred Heart. The Cougars' match against Sacred Heart will see the two programs face off for the very first time. SIUE last met Radford in 2008, also as part of a neutral-site trip in Florida. This will be just the second-ever meeting between the Cougars and Highlanders.
 
Welcome to Edwardsville
The Cougars welcome one new student-athlete into the program this spring, as true freshman Amber Hochstatter is set to make her spring debut in the Red & White this weekend. Hochstatter, who hails from Wyanet, Illinois, has already seen competitive action at the collegiate level.
 
Scouting the Beacons
The Valparaiso Beacons enter Saturday's match with a spring win under its belt, as the Beacons earned a 5-2 home victory over IUPUI on January 15. 
 
Valpo earned the doubles point, 2-1, before sweeping the top four singles fixtures to earn the season-opening win.
 
The Beacons competed in two dual matches during the fall season, registering a 7-0 sweep over Holy Cross (Ind.) of the NAIA on September 11, 2021, before notching a 5-2 win over Grand Valley State (Mich.) on October 16, 2021.
 
Valpo also hosted the Missouri Valley Conference Individual Championships in Fall 2021, where a pair of Beacons took home the MVC crown in Flight 1 doubles.
 
Valparaiso stumbled last spring, compiling a 6-13 overall record and a 1-4 mark in Missouri Valley Conference play. One of those losses came to SIUE, as the Cougars commanded the Beacons in a convincing 7-0 win on February 14, 2021.
 
The Beacons were picked to finish fourth in the seven-team MVC. 
 
Scouting the (Other) Cougars
The Chicago State Cougars are set to open their spring season with a road trip to Milwaukee on Friday, as CSU will take on Marquette. Their match with SIUE will mark their second of the spring and first as hosts.
 
CSU put together a 3-15 record last spring and a 1-5 mark in Western Athletic Conference play. 
 
Chicago State was slated to host SIUE last spring on February 13, 2021; however, the match was canceled due to COVID-19 protocols.
 
The last time the two programs met was on January 26, 2020, when SIUE handed Chicago State a 6-1 defeat.