Tide Women's Tennis Prepares for SEC Tournament
4/14/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
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Nashville—The 32nd-ranked Alabama women's tennis team practiced today in preparation for their opening round match of the SEC Tournament against Auburn Thursday at the Brownlee O. Currey Jr. Tennis Center on the campus of Vanderbilt University.
It will be the second time in less than five days that the Tide and Tigers have faced each other. Auburn (11-11, 3-8 SEC/4th West) defeated Alabama on Sunday in the last SEC regular season match, 4-3. The Tide is looking forward to the rematch.
"We had a great match with them Sunday," said Alabama Head Coach Jenny Mainz. "I completely expect for this to be a full-blown battle and I think that we are ready. It will be a great match."
Tide sophomore Ashley Bentley lost only her third dual match of the year to Auburn senior Carolina Ramirez. Mainz says Bentley, 18-3 this spring, is looking forward to getting a shot at redeeming herself.
"I felt Ashley struggled in some regards even though Ramirez played exceptionally well," Mainz said. "I think the team's excited about the opportunity and she (Bentley) is especially motivated by getting a second chance."
The Crimson Tide (12-9, 5-6 SEC/2nd West) finished the regular season Tuesday night with a thrilling, 4-3 victory over No. 47 South Alabama. Sophomore Melissa Minor clinched the match at No. 5 singles with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 victory over the Jaguars' Klara Jarova.
"I feel the match against South Alabama gave us some momentum and confidence," Mainz said. "It's a great opportunity to get to face Auburn again."
Alabama and Auburn are the last teams to play Thursday and will begin at 1:15 p.m. The winner will play Vanderbilt on Friday at 1:15 p.m. Other matches on Thursday include SEC Western Division Champion LSU vs. Arkansas, South Carolina against Ole Miss and Kentucky vs. Mississippi State.
PHOTOS FROM NASHVILLE:
Ashley Bentley and Mari Muller with Coach Jenny Mainz
The coaches work with the team
Robin Stephenson practicing her game
