DELAND, Fla. -- Bethune-Cookman opens its 2018 Women's Tennis Spring Dual season Sunday when the Wildcats take on Stetson at 1 p.m. at the Mandy Stoll Tennis Center.

The Wildcats are coming off a 9-11 campaign last season in Val Villucci's first year as Head Coach. The challenging year saw B-CU shorthanded in 16 of the 20 matches, but more successful in those matches (8-8) then at full strength. Bethune-Cookman fell to Morgan State in the opening round of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament in a match that went down to the final point.

B-CU was selected to win the MEAC's Southern Division title in a poll released earlier this week.

The first home match will be Saturday, February 3 against the College of Charleston.  Conference play begins the weekend of March 10 with matches against North Carolina Central and North Carolina A&T in Savannah, Ga. The MEAC tournament is slated for April 26-28 in Norfolk, Va.

WHO'S BACK:  Four players return from last year:

Matea Roki,a senior from Toronto, led the Wildcats with 13 singles and 11 doubles this season. She compiled an undefeated record (5-0 in both singles and doubles) during conference play, including the deciding point in a crucial 4-3 victory at North Carolina A&T. She concluded the regular season on a six-match winning streak in singles play.

Alejandra Vidal, a senior from Maracaibo, Venezula, is the lone remaining player from the 2015 MEAC championship team. A 2016 All-Conference selection, she needs 14 victories to become the seventh player to register 100 combined singles and doubles victories. She won her flight at the Juan Varon  Wildcat Invitational during Fall Play.

Karen Romero, a junior from Bogota, Colombia, has compiled a 7-3 mark in league singles play her first two seasons.

Phatsimo Ruele, a sophomore from Botswana, won her match at the MEAC tournament last year and helped keep the shorthanded Wildcats' victory chances alive. She also won her flight at the Juan Varon.

The newcomer is Rheanna Butt, a freshman from Palm Harbor, Fla.

ABOUT STETSON: The Hatters were 7-14 last season and advanced to the Atlantic Sun Conference tournament semifinals. In fall play, freshman Brooke Milner won two matches at the ITA Southeast Regional while sophomore Lucie Renault won her flight here at the Juan Varon.
SUNDAY COVERAGE: Follow our official twitter feed -- @CatsTennis -- for links to the live stats and in-match updates.