Athletic Report
March 12, 2000

TURNER & STILES ARE LEADERS
OF ENMU’S 18TH-RANKED TENNIS TEAM
PORTALES, NM — The Eastern New Mexico women’s tennis team is currently ranked #18 nationally in NCAA Division II. ENMU’s ranking was earned in part through the success and leadership provided by the team’s top players, Layla Turner and Julie Stiles.

Turner, a sophomore from Casa Grande, Ariz. (Casa Grande Union H.S.), and Stiles, a senior from Roswell, N.M. (Goddard H.S.), have achieved great success on the court. Turner took 6th place in singles at the ITA/Rolex National Tournament held in Memphis, Tenn. last fall. She also combined with Stiles to finish 5th in doubles at the National Tournament. As a result of her outstanding fall season, Turner is ranked #6 nationally in singles. Turner and Stiles are also ranked #6 nationally in doubles.

In 1998-99, Turner was 29-5 in singles and Stiles was 24-8 in singles. They were 23-11 as a doubles team, helping ENMU earn a 20-9 dual match record and a #19 national ranking.

The Zias reached the finals of the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional hosted by Central Oklahoma. With the team ranked a spot higher this season, the Zias have even greater hopes for 1999-2000. ENMU will be seeking its fourth straight NCAA Tournament berth and will be going after a top finish at the Lone Star Conference Tournament, April 27-29 in Wichita Falls, Texas.

Turner and Stiles work well together in doubles. They are a formidable team, possessing individual skills that combine for exceptional strength and balance. “They complement each other,” said Head Coach Christine Blaeser. “

Julie can be really aggressive at the net and Layla is really strong at the baseline.” Coach Blaeser’s assessment received approval from her top two players.

“We have good chemistry and she (Stiles) is a really good player,” Turner said. “We’re good friends. That helps. And our styles are really compatible for doubles.”

“I like being able to rely on her (Turner),” Stiles said. “She’s a great player. We kind of complement each other. She’s real uplifting . . . and she’s a lot of fun.”

Both players gained valuable experience and learned important strategies from their trip to the ITA/Rolex National Tournament. Winning the singles and doubles titles at the ITA/Rolex Regional Tournament was also a plus. “We gained a lot of confidence . . . that we can play with just about anyone,” Stiles said. “We played some really good teams and won some good matches.”

Turner, in just her second season at the collegiate level, is one of the top players in Division II. She has improved her already-strong singles play, and has worked with Stiles to make their doubles team even more powerful. “I’m more aggressive ... volleys and net play,” Turner said.

In doubles “we’ve been working at coming in (to the net) a lot more.” Stiles said that she also has improved her singles play since she was a freshman (1996-97 season). Stiles, who has played primarily #2 singles since her sophomore year, has helped ENMU earn a 41-32 record over the past four seasons.

“Definitely my consistency,” Stiles said when asked about improvements. “I don’t just try to win the point right away. I try to use my head more than I used to. I’m mentally tougher now.”

Julie is the only senior on this year’s ENMU team. She is a source of tennis information for other players, and has a wealth of good advice from her own experiences. She helped lead practices when Blaeser was on leave in January to give birth to her third child, Sarah Rebecca.

“I liked it a lot,” Stiles said of her weeks as a fill-in coach. “I wasn’t certain what the girls would think. They were great. “Some of the freshmen look up to me. They’ll come to me with questions,” Stiles said. “I try to be encouraging. I think it means a lot to them when I am.”

Turner placed second in singles at the Arizona High School State Tournament in 1998 and took third in singles and doubles in 1995. She decided on ENMU as the place to seek a degree and continue playing tennis. “Part of it (deciding on ENMU) was school size ... how friendly everyone was,” Turner said. “And I hung out with the girls and really liked them. I thought that was important.”

Turner and Stiles are almost equal in their playing abilities. Turner has been #1 this spring while Stiles has been recovering from a leg injury. Both played in ENMU’s two matches last month, a 6-3 victory over Midwestern State and a 9-0 shutout of West Texas A&M. Turner won her matches 6-3, 6-1 and 6-0, 6-0 at #1 singles, while Stiles claimed victories at #2 singles by 6-3, 6-4 and 6-1, 6-1 scores. Turner and Stiles were victorious in doubles 8-6 against Midwestern State and 8-1 against West Texas A&M.

Blaeser is very pleased with the skill and effort Turner and Stiles bring to the Zias. “They’re both pretty strong from the baseline,” she said. “Layla is really good at mixing up her shots (drop shots, top spin, back spin). Julie has good placement with the ball and she drives the ball hard.”

The Zias haven’t played a regular season match since sweeping West Texas on Feb. 12, but return to action this weekend (Fri., Mar. 10 - Sun., Mar. 12) at the New Braunfels Tournament in New Braunfels, Texas.

The Zias will take on LSC rival Abilene Christian at 1:30 p.m. (MST) on Friday, before playing Ferris State (Mich.) at 1:00 p.m. (MST) on Saturday and taking on Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at 7:30 a.m. (MST) on Sunday. Eastern’s schedule has gave the Zias nearly a full month of practice.

Even so, with Turner and Stiles on the team, the squad hasn’t suffered from the layoff. “It mean’s tougher competition even just in practice,” Blaeser said. “It raises the level of play of the entire team. They’re facing those players (Turner and Stiles) every day in practice.”

ENMU will have less than a week between matches when the Zias return from New Braunfels. The Zias will take on Texas Woman’s University at 9:00 a.m. MST and Fort Hays State at 4:00 p.m. MST on Sat., Mar. 11, starting a six-match homestand. The Zias will also host Tarleton State on Mar. 31, Central Oklahoma on Apr. 1, Western New Mexico on Apr. 7 and Cameron University on Apr. 8.