LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Bellarmine women's tennis team has had anything but a normal transition to Division I.  The impact of COVID-19 over the last two years has brought various challenges, but the Knights are ready to overcome in the 2022 season which begins on Jan. 16 at Kentucky.
 
While challenging, the schedule brings an extra level of excitement with opportunities to take on UK, Indiana, Louisville, and Tennessee in the non-conference.  Perhaps the best part of this season's schedule is that it is full – the Knights are ready to play 24 matches including 11 at home.
 
Bellarmine had a brief chance to gear up for the season with two fall invitationals.  BU competed at Eastern Michigan in September and Cincinnati in October.  Freshman Ekaterina Tikhonko impressed with three wins at the EMU Hidden Duals and two victories at the UC/Xavier Invitational. 
 
That marked the first chance for new head coach Brian Slack to see his team in action – and he is very encouraged.
 
"I couldn't be more thankful and excited about a group of ladies," Slack said. "I have been lucky to come in and have a team immediately buy in to what we are doing and building here.  That says a lot about the type of ladies that are in this program.  We have gotten better both physically and mentally which says a lot for this group from years past.  They are ready for the spring to begin!"
 
Slack comes to Bellarmine after a distinguished career at the NAIA and junior college levels where he was the coach of nine junior college national champions (eight as a head coach, one as an assistant) along with NAIA national finalists as an assistant on both the women's and men's sides.

Slack spent the two seasons prior to his arrival at Bellarmine as the women's and men's assistant tennis coach at Keiser University in West Palm Beach, Florida. He helped guide both teams to becoming the NAIA National Championship runners-up last season as the men went 18-2 overall and the women 15-2 while both were the Sun Conference Tournament champions and went 6-0 in league play. Both carried a No. 2 national ranking.
 
Slack's first Division I group is a mix of young players and veterans. Three seniors, two juniors, and three freshmen populate the Knights' eight-player roster this season.  Junior Channing Varnum is Bellarmine's top returner in wins including victories against Liberty and Belmont last season.  Tikhonko leads BU in wins so far this year with four singles victories and three doubles wins during the fall.  Fellow freshman Rose Pastoret was victorious in two of her three singles matches and two of her three doubles matches as well.  Alongside Varnum, Tikhonko, and Pastoret, the Bellarmine roster is rounded out by senior Madison Devillez, senior Laurie Hargis, freshman Lindsay Johnson, senior Ashley Jonathan, and junior Maja Kozerski.
 
"As a whole, myself and the ladies are excited for the season to kick off," Slack added.  "The fall went by quick but we got a lot of good work in.  Our team expectations are high and we have set some pretty good goals individually and as a team.  We will play against a top schedule including four power 5 teams – that will prepare us for our conference schedule.  We are excited to get on the court and continue to improve!"

Bellarmine opens the season Sunday at Kentucky.  The Wildcats were picked to finish 13^th out of 14 teams in the SEC this year coming off a 16-9 record last season, including a trip to the NCAA Tournament.  The Knights then host Western Kentucky on Monday Jan. 17 at 1:00 p.m. in their first home match of the season.

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