UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. - The Saginaw Valley State University women's tennis team has added a pair of new players for the upcoming season. Izabella Ismailova has traveled from Kazakhstan in central Asia to join the program, while Hannah Wittock comes from much closer to home; she played on the SVSU club team last year.

I'm excited to add these two new student-athletes," said head coach Jenn Boehm.  "I expect each of them to contribute a lot to our program, both on and off the court."

Over the past few months, Boehm has become acquainted with Ismailova via Skype.

"In the short time I've gotten to know Izabella, she has proven to be a person of high character," Boehm said. "She has shown a lot of courage to travel half-way around the world to join our program, and I'm confident she'll bring that same courage onto the tennis court. I expect her to compete for a top position in the line up, so she will need that type of mental toughness.

"I would like to thank Stephanie Sieggreen (Director of International Programs) and Nick Wagner (Special Assistant to the Vice President for Enrollment Management) for their valuable roles in bringing Izabella to SVSU. They met her and her family at a college fair in Kazakhstan last spring and clearly made a good first impression, sharing the high-caliber academic environment SVSU can provide."

Wittock played no. 2 singles for Flushing (Mich.) High School during her senior year and chose to focus on academics during her freshman year of college.

"Hannah gained a lot of valuable match experience playing for the SVSU club team last year, and I think that built her confidence," Boehm said. "She has been working hard on her game this summer, and I think she's ready for a step up in competition."

The Cardinals open their season at home against Ashland University on Friday, Sept. 6 at noon.