The St. Lawrence University women's tennis team is set to begin a new chapter this weekend as they travel to Schenectady, N.Y., for the Union Invitational. While the season marks a fresh start, the Saints will be guided by familiar leadership and celebrate a significant milestone - 50 years of women's tennis at SLU.

Leading the Scarlet and Brown into the Capital Region is first-year head coach Noah Murphy, who steps into the role after serving as assistant coach for the past two seasons. Joining him is new assistant coach Ezenna Emuka, who competed for the Saints' men's team last season.

"I'm excited to see where we can go this year as a team," said Murphy. "We're bringing our full lineup back and returning a lot of veteran leadership after a successful season last year. I think we can make some noise in the Liberty League this season. It's also going to be special to share this year's journey with our alumnae as we celebrate 50 years of women's tennis at SLU."

The Saints are coming off a standout 2024-25 campaign, finishing with a 16-5 overall record and earning the No. 5 seed in the Liberty League Championships. Their 16 wins tied the program record set by the 2013-14 squad, and their 13 consecutive dual match victories to start the season broke the previous record of 10 set in 2005-06.

This year's roster features 12 returners, including five seniors from the Class of 2026: Angelica Aksdal-Jansen, Alexandra Fuller, Molly Jespersen, Abigail Sicuranza, and Maya Stepic.

Aksdal-Jansen earned All-Liberty League First Team honors in singles and Second Team honors in doubles last season, posting an impressive 11-5 singles record and 11-3 in doubles for a combined 22-8 mark. Jespersen also had a strong season, earning honorable mention in doubles, going 12-5 in singles and 11-10 in doubles.

Beyond the senior class, the Saints will rely on juniors Ellie Fritz, Ariane Karera, Yvette Karera, and Sarah Oldland, along with sophomores Kate Butler, Elisa Iuri, and Eleanor McDermed.

Yvette Karera led the team with 17 singles wins (17-6), followed by Fritz (13 wins) and Iuri (12 wins). Iuri joined Aksdal-Jansen on the All-League Second Team, while Karera and McDermed earned honorable mention honors.

Following the Union Invitational, the Saints will compete in the Mary Hosking Invitational hosted by William Smith (Sept. 13–14), the ITA Northeast Regionals (Sept. 26), and wrap up their fall schedule at Hamilton College (Oct. 11–12).

Follow the links to check out the Saints' latest news, roster, and schedule for the upcoming season.