The Lady Lions tennis team serves up a new season Saturday, facing off against Rockhurst University.

Julie Wengert, head coach, is excited about the new season. Sharing command with her mother, Jane Posch, Wengert plans to concede the position of head coach to her mother next season.

“[This season] she’s working into it, and I’m working out of it,” Wengert said.

Focused on this season, Wengert has had her share of dilemmas. At the end of the fall season, Wengert had only four players on her roster. Wengert recruited three new players this spring, including 47-year-old Kim McMunn, freshman undeclared major.

“I would meet Kim in all of the Parsons [Kansas] tournaments,” Wengert said. “She’s a great player; she’s really competitive.”

Wengert admits that with a new team and a new season, there are going to be some first game jitters.

“We just want to be competitive with the rest of our conference,” she said. “The competition seems to get tougher over the years.”

Lacey McMunn, sophomore education major, said every opponent is competition.

“Northwest won conference last year,” Wengert said. “They’re always strong.”

Despite having a new team, the Lady Lions outlook remains positive.

“I think we’re better at this point in the season than we were last year,” McMunn said.

Also new this year is the format of the conference tournament. This year the tournament puts emphasis on team competition rather than in individual flights.

“We’re trying to find out what will be the best for the team,” Wengert said.

“We’re so used to it being based on individual skills. Now, how do we set it up to benefit the whole team?”

The Ladies have practiced since the beginning of the semester, but the prep time for their first match was delayed due to a tennis tournament at Millennium Tennis and Fitness Center. They were denied access to the indoor courts for the week.

The team has resumed practice, making final preparations for its season opening match at 1 p.m. Saturday at home against Rockhurst University.