The LSU women’s tennis team has the opportunity to see where it stands in two different competitions this weekend.Coach Tony Minnis said the team is taking three players to Houston for the Rice Invitational and four players to Indiana for the Hoosier Classic.”One of the reasons we’re doing this is so we can really familiarize ourselves because we have such a young team,” Minnis said.Minnis said senior Nicole Kantor, junior Kylie Adamek, freshman Ebie Wilson and freshman Kaitlin Burns will make the trip to Indiana.”This is my first tournament of the year,” Kantor said. “Some of the other girls have played tournaments, so I’d say it’s fairly important just to get a good start in the fall.”The competition this weekend at the Hoosier Classic includes Indiana, Mississippi State, Memphis and Kansas State. Kantor said she is looking forward to getting more experience with Wilson, her new doubles partner.”We’ve actually only practiced together once,” Kantor said. “But our game hopefully will match up well, and hopefully we’ll be able to find ways to win. Once we get out there, usually you can figure it out once you get in a match situation.”Kantor said despite the fact it’s the fall, her goal is still to win every time she steps on the court. Minnis said the games are still important even though they may not have too much bearing on team rankings.”It’s fall. It’s like preseason football,” Minnis said. “It’s based more for individual rankings. It’s important to really gain an identity and gain some confidence, but I think it’s even more important for [assistant coach] Lisa [Jackson] and I to see what we need to work on.”Minnis said sophomore Whitney Wolf, senior Sloane Mathis and freshman Keri Frankenberger will play at the Rice Invitational.Wolf already has experience under her belt with her partner, Frankenberger.”We played together the last tournament and played really well together,” Wolf said.Rice, SMU and Oklahoma are among the big name competition at the Rice Invitational, but Wolf said DePaul could be the most troublesome opponent.Wolf said she feels like she’s been playing some of her best tennis and wants to keep the hot streak going. “For me, it’s more important if I’m happy with how I play,” Wolf said. “It is more fun to win though.”Minnis said he is excited to see how all three freshmen will contribute early in the season.”What they did at the [Southeastern Conference] tournament really impressed me,” Minnis said. “They really stepped up. They go to the first tournament ever in college without really practicing. You got 10 teams that are in the top 25 in the country, and you hold your own. I was pretty impressed with that.”Despite the youth on display this weekend, Minnis said he hopes the veterans can make an immediate impact as well.”Nicole Kantor and Whitney Wolf are the two players with experience coming back,” Minnis said. “Whitney played really well at the SEC tournament, and hopefully she can build on that, and Nicole has been a really solid player for us for three years.”Minnis said he appreciates how hard the team has practiced in preparation for the year.”This group has an awesome work ethic right now,” Minnis said. “They’re working really hard, and hopefully that hard work pays off.”- – – -Contact Rowan Kavner at [email protected]