LA MIRADA, Calif. --- It has been quite some time since Biola women's tennis has experienced an overwhelming amount of success in the standings, but for Head Coach Dee Henry and her team the game of tennis is about so much more than that.
 
Henry has had a role in tennis at Biola for the last 38 years, and under her direction the program has developed into a prime place for talented tennis players with great character.

The members of the 2014 tennis team are loaded with both those attributes as they look to compete in the tough Golden State Athletic Conference. The Eagles begin their campaign with a match against Cal Tech this Saturday morning at 10 a.m.
 
Kathryn Ashford will once again be leading the way for Biola. She enters her second season with the Eagles and will look to repeat, and improve upon, the success she had as a freshman. Last year Ashford was named All-GSAC and went 10-11 in the No. 1 spot for Biola, competing against the absolute top players in the conference.
 
She is currently ranked the No. 23 women's player in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics in a poll produced by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. Ashford is coming off an impressive performance at the recent ITA/USTA Regional Tournament that was held at Biola in September.
 
Ashford is not the only athlete that will contribute to the team's output this season, as Henry tabbed her team's depth as an improvement over last season.
 
"We have very good depth this year, especially when you figure in Susan (Carmichael) and Kelsey (Post)," said Henry.
 
Carmichael is another sophomore for the Eagles. She went 11-9 last season, playing out of the No. 3 and No. 4 spots. She was the only individual player with a winning record on the year.
 
Kelsey Post is a freshman from Temecula, Calif. who is set to make an immediate impact on the program. Henry notes her as a newcomer who is working her way to the top, fast.
 
The Eagles should improve upon their 18-45 doubles record last season, because they have a talented top pairing of Olivia Koelsch and Madeline Heer. Henry raves about the individual talents of the two of them, but notes how their skill sets complement each other.
 
"Madeline has a very solid serve, and she played well in high school, and Olivia is great at net play," said Henry. "They played really well together at regionals."
 
No matter what level of talent or competition this year's women's tennis squad competes at, the goal is always the same for Henry and her teams.
 
"I always ask the team what they want people to say about them after their match," said Henry. "We need to stay focused and exude sportsmanship. Our job is to be Christ ambassadors, and we want to be the best ones we can be."
 
Biola opens its conference season with a match against Westmont Feb. 8 at 1 p.m. The team is also sponsoring a kid's tennis day on Feb. 21.