Butkovska, Mladenovic Crack ITA Singles Rankings

ITA Women's Singles Rankings (Jan. 6)

SKILLMAN, N.J. – Portland women's tennis standouts Lucia Butkovska and Maja Mladenovic have opened the 2015 season nationally ranked in the first Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) women's singles rankings, released on Monday. Butkovska is ranked No. 60 nationally, the highest in Pilot women's tennis history, while Mladenovic comes in at No. 104 overall. It is the first time in program history that two players are ranked at the same time.

"We knew going into the season that this year was going to be special," Portland head coach Susie Campbell-Gross said. "I am really proud of what Lucia and Maja have accomplished over the last few months and my hope is that we can carry this momentum into the season and meet the goals and expectations we have set for ourselves as a team. It is a very exciting time for our program and we are looking forward to getting the season under way."

Both players had impressive fall campaigns that included quality wins at national events, and a pair of shared top draw singles titles at the WSU Invitational and the Matador Invitational.

Butkovska, a sophomore from Bratislava, Slovakia, made her on court debut this fall after sitting out last season due to NCAA regulations. She made her mark with a win over Florida's Peggy Porter – ranked No. 40 individually – at the Riviera/ITA Women's All-American Championships. Butkovska also went on to win four matches and reach the quarterfinals of the USTA/ITA Northwest Regional Championships before falling to Caroline Doyle of Stanford (ranked No. 13 this week). She finished the fall season with a 13-2 singles record.

Mladenovic, a junior from Nis, Serbia, cracks the rankings for the first time after earning All-West Coast Conference singles honors last spring. She finished with an 11-2 fall record with the two losses coming against a pair of ranked opponents in Old Dominion's Borislava Botusharova (No. 68) and Catherine Leduc of Saint Mary's (No. 122). Notable wins for Mladenovic came against Ohio State's Sandy Niehaus at the All-American Championships and Stanford's Krista Hardebeck at the ITA Northwest Regionals.

Mladenovic and Butkovska will anchor an experienced Portland team that returns every key player from last year's squad. The insertion of Butkovska to the top of the singles lineup and addition of freshman Amanda Zuidema and Niagara transfer Sarah Hellstern will provide added depth.

The Pilots open the spring season by hosting UC Davis on Sunday, Jan. 25 at 10 a.m. at the Louisiana-Pacific Tennis Center.