MIAMI GARDENS, FL – The St. Thomas University men and women's tennis teams look to kickoff start to season on Friday, February 5, at home versus Lynn. The Bobcats are looking to make the 2009 season one of their finest. The Bobcats have made key additions to both teams that coach Bruce Carrington said would improve the teams' performance.

For the Bobcat men's team they have brought in a freshman Adrian Escarate from Santiago, Chile, who is poised to play #1 singles in his first season. They are returning key starter Jeremy Bache, who looks to improve on his success from the previous season. They have also brought in William Fountain from the Bahamas, and Coach Carrington believes he will be a key addition to the lineup and possibly 3rd doubles. The Bobcats are looking to try and win their conference, The Sun Conference, and to qualify for regionals. From regionals Carrington is looking to qualify his team into the national tournament. Coach Bruce Carrington believes this is his best team to date.

The women Bobcats have similar aspiration to the men's team. They too are looking to dominate within conference so they can qualify for regionals and do the same for nationals. Natalia Ramirez is one of the key returning players for the women's team. Ramirez will be teaming up with newcomer Manuela Gil to play at the #1 doubles slot. Gil, a freshman from Medellin, Columbia, will be making an instant impact to the Bobcats lineup. They also are returning academic standout Grier Clark who has maintained a stellar 4.0 gpa. The Bobcats have also made an addition in Stephanie Pfeffer who is from Ratingen, Germany.

The Bobcats in the past have had much success against teams that travel to South Florida to compete on spring break. Both teams look to continue their success against these schools that will help to build up to their team goals and overall success.

Both the men and women Bobcats are in action Friday, February 5, at home versus Lynn University. Match time starts at 2:00 pm. Both teams travel to Orlando, FL, for a match versus Savannah College of Art and Design at 2:00pm on Saturday, February 6. Sunday they travel to Daytona Beach, FL, to take on Embry-Riddle University, match time is 1:00pm.