LEILA SALEK 2007 FIRST-TEAM ALL C-USA 2007 C-USA NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR 2008 TENNIS MEDIA GUIDE TABLE OF CONTENTS INTroDucTioN & CoachiNG STAFF -9 Table of Contents 1 I Media Information 2 NT John E. Hoff Tennis Courts 3 RO 2008 Schedule 5 D 2008 Season Outlook 4-5 UC Head Coach John Severance 6-7 T Assistant Coach Jo Keene 8 IO Athletics Staff and Head Coaches 9 N MEET THE Cougars 0-3 Returners 10-11 Junior Transfers 12 Freshman 13 QuicK FacTS 2008 Roster 13 Location Houston, Texas Enrollment 34,334 Founded 1927 2006-07 SEasoN IN REVIEW 4-6 Nickname Cougars 2007 Departed Letterwinners 14-15 Colors Scarlet & White with Navy Trim 2007 Season Review 16 President/Chancellor Dr. Renu Khator Director of Athletics Dave Maggard HisTorY & REcorDs 7-24 Faculty Representative Dr. Richard Scamell 2007 Singles & Doubles Records 17 SWA DeJuena Chizer All-Time Records 17 Conference Conference USA All-Time Letterwinners 17 Began C-USA Competition 1996 Facility John E. Hoff Courts NCAA Tournament History 18 National & Conference Honors 19 TENNis STAFF Coaching History 20 Head Coach John Severance All-Time Coaching Records 20 Alma Mater (Year) Arizona (1999) Year-by-Year Results 21-24 Email [email protected] Office Phone (713) 743-0836 UH ATHLETics & UNIVErsiTY SECTioN 25-40 Record at Houston (Seasons) 50-24 (3) Career Record (Seasons) 50-24 (3) Assistant Coach Jo Keene Alma Mater (Year) Houston (2003) Email [email protected] Office Phone (713) 743-4051 TEam INFormaTioN 2007 Record 13-9 2007 Conference USA Tournament Finish Opening Round 2007 Postseason N/A Letterwinners Returning/Lost 3/5 Newcomers 5 Program hisTorY Seasons 31st Overall Record 381-303-1 Home Record 200-102-1 Road Record 82-121 Neutral Record 86-71 Conference Record 63-73 MEDia RELATioNS Associate A.D./Communications/Tennis Contact Chris Burkhalter Email [email protected] Office Phone (713) 743-9404 Cell Phone (713) 775-1542 Office Fax (713) 743-9411 Website www.UHCougars.com CREDITS The 2007-08 Cougar Tennis Media Guide was produced by the University of Houston Sports Information Office. Layout, design and compilation by Elaina Matsko. Covers by Szintia Szanto and photos by Stephen Pinchback, Pete Medrano, Tom Shea and Richard Carson. Printing by Multi-Ad in Peoria, Ill. Special thanks to Ryan Koslen, Jeff Conrad, Jamie Zarda, Rick Poulter and Chris Burkhalter. WWW.UHCOUGARS.COM MEDIA INFORMATION SporTS INFormaTioN AssisTANCE HousTON SporTS INFormaTioN The University of Houston Sports Information Office is at your service to assist you N with your coverage of Houston Tennis. Tennis SID Chris Burkhalter will be happy to IO serve you during the 2007-08 season. For information regarding credentials, team and CHRIS BURKHALTER T player information, interviews, statistics and pictures please call the UH SID Office (713- Associate Athletics Director/Communications UC 743-9404). Football/Tennis D ALL INTERVIEWS must be arranged through the sports information office at least Cell: (713) 775-1542 RO one day in advance. Photographers and videographers are allowed to shoot during [email protected] practice at Coach Severance’s discretion. Please contact the Sports Information Office NT I for the exact time and place of each day’s practice. SporTS INFormaTioN OFFicE The University of Houston Sports Information Office is in the Ted Nance Suite JEFF CONRAD (#2008) on the second floor of the Athletics/Alumni Center. The Athletics/Alumni Center Assistant Sports Information Director is located on Cullen Boulevard between Cougar Field and Hofheinz Pavilion. If avail- Football, Baseball, Swimming & Diving able, parking will be provided in the front lot of the Athletics/Alumni Center. Cell: (713) 557-3841 DirECTioNS TO HOFF CourTS [email protected] The John Hoff Tennis Courts are located on Cullen Boulevard between Scott and Holman streets. To reach it from Bush Intercontinental Airport, take Highway 59 South through downtown until the Interstate 45 exchange. Take I 45 South (Galveston) and proceed for about one mile. Take the Cullen Exit and stay on the feeder road to the RYAN KOSLEN light. Take a right on Cullen and proceed into the University. The AAC is approximately Assistant SID/Publications Coordinator 1/2 of a mile on your right-hand side. To reach it from Hobby Airport, take Airport Drive Women’s Basketball, Soccer to Interstate 45. Take I-45 North (toward downtown). Exit Cullen Blvd/Elgin St. and Cell: (713) 598-8666 go through the first light until you reach Cullen Blvd. Take a left and follow the same [email protected] directions above. CREDENTiaL REquESTS All requests for working press, radio, television, photography or scouting credentials should be mailed or faxed on letterhead to Tennis SID Chris Burkhalter at LEAST ONE RICK POULTER WEEK PRIOR to THE MATCH. Season credential requests should be sent at least two Assistant Sports Information Director weeks prior to the first game. Seating in the press area is for working media only. Men’s Basketball, Golf Cell: (713) 557-3836 PREss CREDENTiaLS [email protected] Traditional print, television and radio (media agency) regularly assigned to cover the University of Houston and the visiting school will receive first priority, as well as national news-gathering agencies. Credentials for Internet sites will be granted to University of Houston-operated Web sites, the visiting team’s official Web site and Conference USA’s official Web site. JAMIE ZARDA Spouses, dates, children, equipment carriers and non-workers are restricted from the Sports Information Assistant press box, sidelines and locker rooms. Any abuse of a working credential will result in Volleyball, Track & Field/Softball the media agency losing credential privileges. Cell: (913) 406-4914 In some instances due to space limitations, meeting the criteria identified below does [email protected] not guarantee credentials for every game. Photographers are welcome to shoot game action. Please be aware of game action going on around you. AccrEDITATioN GuiDELINES SYRIA BOYD • Only full-time, salaried employees intending to provide actual game coverage may Administrative Assistant receive credentials. Office: (713) 743-9404 • A requesting media agency must represent a collective, organizational editorial voice, [email protected] not simply the offerings of a single individual. • Membership in a writer’s association does not automatically qualify an agency for credentials. • An on-line entity, not associated with a traditional media agency, may qualify for one UH SPORTS INFORMATION credential, subject to the following conditions: Sports Information Main Phone ............................(713) 743-9404 1. An on-line entity’s own full-time staff writes a majority of that site’s material. Sports Information Fax .........................................(713) 743-9411 2. On-line entities that focus primarily on University of Houston Athletics and spon- Website ......................................................www.UHCougars.com sor message University of Houston Sports Information POST-MATCH PROCEDURES 3100 Cullen Blvd., Suite 2008 Following a brief cooling-off period, Coach Severance and selected players will be available for comment on the court. Please see Tennis SID Chris Burkhalter immediately Athletics/Alumni Center following completion of the match to make player requests. Please be aware that situ- Houston, TX 77204 ations may arise when players are not available for comment. The University of Houston is an equal opportunity institution whose programs, Match box scores will be made available to members of the media following the match. services, activities and operations are without discrimination as to sex, color, UH’s locker room is closed to the media. or national origin and are not opposed to qualified handicapped persons. 2 2008 HOUSTON TENNIS TENNIS FACILITIES I NT RO D UC T IO N The new John E. Hoff Tennis Courts were constructed in 1995 for the University of Houston. This year the courts received brand new windscreens with the UH logo as well as the Cougar head logo to show university pride. Hoff Courts is made up of six hard courts. The varsity courts are for the sole use of the women’s ten- nis program and are equipped with a 150-seat spectator viewing area. All six courts were newely refurbished this year in preparation for the Conference USA Women’s Tennis Championships, which will be hosted by the Houston Cougars. The last time the courts were completely refurbished was in 1999, when the University of Houston hosted the Conference USA Women’s Tennis Champi- onships. WWW.UHCOUGARS.COM 3 OUTLOOK - Q&A WITH HEAD COACH JOHN SEVERANCE How will playing top-75 ranked teams affect the mentality of the team? “It’s hard to compare because every year and every team is so different. Last year we played better against ranked teams, and the year before you never W E would have thought we would have been able to beat the No. 33 team in the I country and we did. It’s hard to speculate on how this team will react to playing a EV ranked team. We saw players from ranked teams in the fall, so it shouldn’t come PR as a surprise. But we’ll just have to wait and see what happens.” N ASO How is the leadership on your team with only one senior? E “I think it’s difficult. Leila is doing a good job so far, but with one senior it’s diffi- cult. For the most part the girls who have been here for just one semester should step up in the spring and show some leadership. I think that could happen, and 2008 S Leila probably wants some help too.” Do you feel the lack of a large senior class will affect the team at all? “No, I don’t think so. We might be young but sometimes being young is okay.