One thing the Iowa women’s tennis team will not have to worry about this season is leadership.

Seniors Merel Beelen and Kelcie Klockenga have been chosen to represent the Hawkeyes as team captains for the 2009-10 season. The duo was selected by their teammates and coaches.

While head coach Daryl Greenan was happy about the team’s decision, he praised the rest of team for its capability and maturity.

“I think there were more than two good choices,” he said. “I think there are several players with a lot of ownership and leadership abilities. [Beelen and Klockenga] have both been here the longest, and I think that’s a big factor,”

While the team features no freshmen, it also only has three seniors, including former Baylor Bear Zuzana Chmelarova.

Chmelarova might be the fresh face on the team, but that didn’t stop her from leaving her mark on the Iowa tennis team.

Junior Jessica Young noted that Chmelarova quickly became an integral part of her new team.

“She’s just as much of a leader as well,” Young said. “I think everyone looks up to her for inspiration, and as a captain.”

A team vote crowned Beelen and Klockenga as captains. Each player and coach received two votes apiece, and the top two vote-getters were named captains.

Beelen, a team captain last year, began playing tennis at Iowa five years ago. Klockenga will enter her fourth and final year.

When it came time to vote for the captains, seniority wasn’t the only consideration.

“Well, Kelcie is my best friend. I adore her,” Young said. “I have a tendency to get riled up, and she has the ability to calm me down.

“Merel has more of an outgoing personality. She has the ability to take charge, she cheers for you.”

Young recalls one of her matches last year against Marquette in which she wasn’t playing well and was down by a hefty margin, until someone stepped in.

“Merel coached me back to win the match,” Young said. “They’ve both been here before and bring a ton of experience. They were really good choices.”

Greenan also lauded the selections for captains. He feels as though the women wanted Beelen and Klockenga to lead them through the season, he said.

The duo has good leadership qualities, he said, and he also believes that they will help the rest of the team have a great year.

“The girls respect them as being people they can go to and as people who can be the voice of the team,” he said.

Along with the Beelen, Klockenga, and Chmelarova — the team’s senior trio — there is another member of the team setting the tone in a different way.

“Sonja [Molnar] has fit in pretty quickly,” Greenan said. “Sometimes just being the No. 1 player and being a high-level player, you kind of have some leadership built in there, and you kind of lead by competitive example.

“She’s made our team better, and she pushes the other girls. They see a little gap there, and they want to close it.”