With only one year of collegiate experience under her belt, sophomore Marta Lesniak is already ranked No. 39 in singles competition by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.

In addition to being named the ITA Southwest Region Rookie of the Year last season, Lesniak made the All-Conference USA first team and was the C-USA Freshman of the Year.

She begins this season for SMU at the top spot in singles and doubles after racking up a combined 29-1 record in the two categories last year.

Most recently, head coach Lauren Longbotham-Meisner announced that Lesniak was selected team captain for the 2009-10 season, as the No. 23 Mustangs try to follow up on their 24-2 record and conference championship.

“Marta is our No. 1 singles player and an excellent leader,” Longbotham-Meisner said in a release. “Even though she is a sophomore … her teammates respect her on and off the court. Her leadership will be critical to helping us defend our Conference USA title and our chance to take the program to new heights in the NCAA Championship.”

Lesniak said sophomore status does not mean as much to her as the skills and knowledge she gained while playing in her native Poland.

“I have a lot of experience playing tennis,” she said. “I’m trying to help the players with my experience and what I saw other players practicing.”

While growing up in the southwestern Polish city of Wroclaw, Lesniak began playing tennis at age six and was making waves in the International Tennis Federation Junior Circuit as a teen.

According to Lesniak, two key factors influenced her decision to leave Poland and play tennis for the Mustangs.

“David Kuczer is my good friend,” she said, “and he convinced me to come here.”

A quality education was also important for the aspiring business major.

“I was studying at a Polish university, but I think you have a better chance to get a job after graduating from an American university,” she said.

After making her season debut in February with a comeback win against Arkansas’ Aurelija Miseviciute – who was ranked fourth in the nation at the time – Lesniak went 13-1 in the top singles spot with each victory coming in straight sets. By late March, she had improved to No. 57 in the country.

“Personally, my goal is to win the NCAA at singles,” she said.

Lesniak and fellow sophomore Aleksandra Malyarchikova teamed up to form an unbeatable doubles duo as freshmen (15-0) and rose to No. 28 before heading to the NCAA Championships.

This year, the pair is ranked 13th in the country as the season approaches.

“We never gave up,” she said. “We wanted to be undefeated, and we almost did it.”

In her new role as team captain, Lesniak will replace Natalia Bubien and Monica Neveklovska, who co-anchored the position for the last three years. During that time, Bubien teamed up with different partners to compile a 54-14 doubles record while Neveklovska battled back from injuries to go 22-6 in singles competition.

“Natalia was No. 1 for three years here at SMU,” Lesniak said. “Monica was a very organized captain. They worked really well.”

As far as her own approach, Lesniak hopes to lead by example while being someone teammates can trust and turn to.

“I’m here to help them,” she said. “If they need any advice, I’m here for them. If it’s tennis, if it’s off-court, it doesn’t matter – I’m there for them.”

With all of last year’s success behind them, the Mustangs are now focused on the season ahead and how to become the best team in the country.

“We want to get more fit and win every single match possible,” Lesniak said.

“We want to win the NCAA Nationals. Obviously, that’s the top goal.”

The women’s tennis team will kick off its fall schedule at the Midland College Classic Sept. 18-20.