One word to describe women's tennis head coach Jody Bronson's tone in talking about her team's season would be frustration. It is a feeling that came and went all season for her. She was never satisfied with the Golden Eagles' performance for an extended stretch.

And she could not have been satisfied with the way Marquette wrapped up its season in Tampa, Fla., last weekend in the Big East Championships. The Golden Eagles lost 4-3 to Rutgers Thursday, and followed with another close 4-3 loss to UConn on Friday. The squad salvaged a win in the 11th-place game, ending its disappointing season on a somewhat high note with a 4-3 win against Pittsburgh.

"It was a good finish to have a very close win that they pulled out," Bronson said. "Ending the season with a win was a positive thing, for sure. But finishing 11th in the conference, well that will stare us in the face all off season."

It will stare every Marquette player in the face, as the team will return all eight starters in the fall. While Bronson was careful never to use the word "rebuilding" to describe this season, this year's team clearly suffered from inexperience.

"I definitely feel we'll be improved next year," said assistant coach Valerie Vladea. "We ended on a good note and the girls are all fired up."

Marquette stumbled to a 3-11 start before winning five straight and finished the season 9-17. Early injuries, notably to No. 1 singles starter Maria Calbeto and No. 2 Lauren Little, made it virtually impossible to compete against ranked opponents. Once the team recovered to full strength, it posted a respectable 5-6 record in its final 11 matches.

"I feel like this season was an improvement over last year," said sophomore Erin Watkins of the 2005 team that went 5-17. "But we can be a lot better next year because everybody has room for improvement. Whether it be conditioning or working on our serves, whatever it might be every girl on this team can get better."

Closing out matches is an issue Bronson harped on after many tight losses. "It is the absolute most important thing. But I absolutely expect them to get after it in the off-season. I think they were all very disappointed with our finish and in order for them to back up how they feel they need to show how committed they are."