A bid in a NCAA tournament may not seem like a major milestone, but compared to virtual nonexistence two years ago, the MSU women’s tennis team will take it.

Four players from the team have received invitations to compete in the NCAA regional tournament Thursday through Sunday in Madison, Wisc.

Surprisingly, the oldest player among the four is a sophomore, Caroline Lay.

But looking at the makeup of the team, it’s no surprise. The team’s veterans are one senior, one junior and two sophomores.

The other nine players are freshmen, a consequence of the start-from-scratch building process head coach Tim Bauer started when he began coaching at MSU in 2000.

“Before I came I had one goal and that was to make the fastest and most complete turnaround in NCAA women’s tennis,” he said. “I didn’t want that to take eight years, I wanted it instantly.”

Bauer and assistant coach Brett Page scoured the recruiting class, looking for players who fit, but the high number of quality prospects made the process arduous.

“You try to watch players and especially when you go to junior championships, everyone’s really good,” Page said. “It’s hard to tell who’s going to be better than others.”

So the coaches starting honing in on certain player qualities, such as integrity and the ability to step up to a challenge, Page said.

“I look for desire,” he said. “I look for people who in long rounds chase that extra ball that they think they’re never going to get.”

And Bauer said he could offer enough benefits to convince players with those qualities to commit to MSU.

For freshman Kate Thomas, the prospect of her individual play progressing was a tempting offer.

“I knew that the coaches were great and the facilities were awesome,” Thomas said. “I knew the coaches knew their stuff