Coach Dawna Prevette said she could go down the list of players on the women's tennis team and point out where they needed to improve.

But she didn't think this was necessary.

Although the players each have their own areas to work on, Prevette found their desire to improve and attitude as the most important thing to take out of this weekend's University of Kentucky Invitational.

"I'm encouraged by the attitude of the girls," she said. "I think they understand what we need to work on, and I think some of the losses, and even wins, made them a little hungrier for improvement."

Going into this past weekend's tournament, the coaches and veteran players had been impressed with the commitment shown by the underclassmen.

With only three upperclassmen on the roster and junior Denisa Zobeideh sidelined with sesamoiditis, a heavy burden has been placed on the sophomores and freshmen.

"I'm really proud of them for coming here and stepping up and making a difference," senior Lauren McCarthy said earlier this season. "A real positive difference for the team."

A number of the younger players found early success on the court this weekend and continued to make a difference like their veteran teammate noticed at practice.

Freshmen Petra Januskova and Sarah Henderson as well as sophomores Maria Prishlyak and Michaela Stracar all came away with big wins throughout the three-day tournament.

While Prevette is pleased with the early season results, she still sees ways the team can get better.

"It was better compared to the first tournament," she said. "I still don't feel like it's where it needs to be, but we're getting there. They understand they need to make some improvements and they are willing to do it."

Stracar also saw improvement from this weekend's tournament.

She said the conditioning drills the team worked on in practice between tournaments have helped with endurance and are already starting to pay off.

"With the coaches and the trainers, we've been working on our speed and agility, so I definitely see that coming into play in our matches if they are long," Stracar said. "I think that we are definitely improving."

Stracar is determined to keep building on her early progress.

With two more tournaments in the fall, she is ready to get back onto the court and prepare for the rest of the year.

"We're going to keep working hard in order to get where we want to be in the spring," Stracar said. "I'm ready for every challenge that there is."