Southern women's tennis opens its 2012 campaign hosting Kennesaw State Saturday, Jan. 28 at the Southern University Tennis Courts. The afternoon dual begins with doubles action at 1 p.m.

The Jaguars return a solid core of experienced players to go with a youth movement that has quickly established itself as a valuable piece of Southern's success.

"We're very excited for this season," said Jeffrey Conyers, who is in his ninth season as head coach. "We have a nice mix of experience and youth."

Last spring, the Jaguars made their 6^th appearance in the NCAA championship tournament, but had their run cut short in a 4-0 loss to 12-seeded Florida State.

"We had a great season last year," said Conyers. "Even though we were short on numbers, the ladies worked hard and stuck to the Jaguar Way. This fall, our three freshmen came in and worked extremely hard and performed well at the HBCU National Championships to assist the Jaguars in reclaiming the HBCU National Title."