The Philadelphia University women's tennis team enters the 2012 season with the goal to return to the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Championship Tournament for the first team since 2009.

The Lady Rams return four starters from last season's team, that went 11-9 overall and 4-4 against the CACC. The lineup will be a mix of experience and youth with two seniors, two junior, a sophomore and a freshman projected to go into the starting lineup for the team's opening match.

Senior co-captain Isabella Espinosa returns to her spot atop the Lady Rams' singles line-up. In the number one spot as a junior, Espinosa posted seven victories, including five against CACC competition.

Freshman Kaylee Fennern is expected to being her collegiate season in the number two position, and comes to Philadelphia after a strong high school career. Fennern won four All-District VI singles title and finished second in the 2009 and 2012 Idaho state championship tournaments at Bonneville High School. She helped lead the school to the 2010 and 2011 state titles.

Sayre Limburg—a senior co-captain—had the second-highest win total a season ago. Playing in the number one and two spots in the line-up, Limburg won nine matches (three at No. 1, six at No. 2). She should improve on that win total as she is projected to be in the third spot.

Olivia Amato will have an expanded role going into her sophomore season. Last year Amato played in seven matches in the four, five and six positions and picked up three victories.

The fifth spot is slated to go to the 2011-12 Lady Rams' wins leader, junior Elizabeth Verbits. Verbits—who bounced around last season in the third, fourth, fifth and sixth spots—won 12 singles matches, including five against conference foes.

Sophomore Magill Kurts has the sixth spot going into the 2012-13 season. Kurts recorded eight victories, four coming from the five position.

The Lady Rams will look to get additional contributions from grad student Alyssa Tullar, sophomore Sylvia Bennicelli and freshman Jeanlouise Hornberger. Bennicelli was victorious in four matches a season ago, while Tullar was 1-0. Hornberger played varsity tennis for two seasons at Muhlenberg High School.

Philadelphia will face numerous non-conference tests during the season with road matches against Division I opponents La Salle and Rider, and showdowns with the Northeast-10 runner-up Stonehill and the East Coast Conference runner-up NYIT.