OMAHA, Neb. – The College of Saint Mary tennis team is off to a flying start.

The Flames won all four matches on their spring break trip to Hilton Head Island, S.C., and followed that with a 4-3 victory over Baker (Kan.) University to start the season 5-0 heading into Wednesday's 4 p.m. Great Plains Athletic Conference opener at Doane University in Crete, Neb.

"It's better than I could have hoped for,'' CSM Coach Mike Johnson said.

CSM already is well on its way to improving on last year's 3-8 record, which included a 1-5 mark in GPAC play.

The addition of freshmen Callista Uchil from Dubai, UAE, and Noel Moreno from Oceanside, Calif., already is paying big dividends. Uchil plays No. 1 singles, Moreno has played primarily No. 2 singles and they usually join forces to play No. 1 doubles.

Uchil has started 3-0 in singles and 4-1 in doubles, earning GPAC Player of the Week honors for her play during the week of March 16-22, while Moreno has started 2-2 in singles and 4-1 in doubles.

"The addition of Callista and Noel has changed the team dynamic,'' Johnson said. "The team's working harder than they worked before. I think with a couple better players at the top of the lineup it makes everybody work a little bit harder.''

The rest of the lineup also has been outstanding, Johnson said. Junior Iyaanah Pardiwalla is 3-2 in both singles and doubles playing in the top of half of the CSM lineup. Sophomore Yana Gupta is 4-1 in singles and 4-0 in doubles.

Senior Carolyna Truong is 5-0 in singles and 3-2 in doubles. Senior Darece Van Auken is 3-1 in singles and 1-0 in doubles. Freshman Abrianna Reynosa is 2-1 in singles and 4-0 in doubles. And sophomore Maribel Baltazar is 1-0 in both singles and doubles.

Johnson said another reason for the team's early success is how receptive the returnees have been to the newcomers. It's all added up to a great wave of momentum.

"The ability of bringing two players at the top half of the lineup has also given us the ability to put other players in positions where they feel mentally stronger,'' Johnson said. "In those positions, I think they have the belief that they can win in those spots.''

Johnson said the freshmen also have a proper amount of humility.

"They've integrated well. Their on-court and off-court demeanor helps that as well,'' he said. "Not only are they good players, they're the right human beings. I think 100% our team vibe is definitely better this year.''

Eight schools in the GPAC play tennis and six reach the GPAC tournament. At this point, Johnson said the goal seems clear.

"I'll be disappointed if we don't make it to the semifinals of the team tournament,'' he said. "If we play to our potential, we will be in the top four.''