Tide Welcomes Arkansas and LSU for Weekend Matches
4/7/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
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The Alabama women’s tennis team will look to improve upon its 5-3 home record this weekend as it plays host to Arkansas Friday at 4 p.m. and LSU Sunday at 1 p.m.
The 29th ranked Crimson Tide (6-11, 1-7 SEC) has seemingly fought through the toughest part of its schedule and now has three conference matches remaining against teams with a combined 1-23 SEC record. Arkansas will enter Friday’s match at 0-8 in the SEC while LSU has a 1-7 conference mark. Auburn (0-8) awaits the Tide next week. But don’t be fooled by the records; third-place in the SEC’s Western Division is still at stake as well as a favorable draw in the SEC Championships.
“Both Arkansas and LSU are solid teams,” Alabama head coach Jenny Mainz said. “LSU boasts a significant win over 25th ranked South Carolina and Arkansas is much improved this season.”
Both Alabama’s and LSU’s lone conference win has come against a top 25 team. The Tide defeated No. 23 Tennessee back on March 6 and also has a win over No. 18 Harvard. Both of those victories came at the UA Tennis Complex where Alabama will play this weekend.
Alabama will look to captains Robin Stephenson and Ashley Bentley for a solid start. Stephenson and Bentley have played exceptionally well at home this season while playing No. 1 and No. 2 singles respectively. Overall they are a combined 23-11 at the top two spots in the line-up and 7-3 at the UA Tennis Complex. Bentley has yet to lose at the UA Tennis Complex this spring.
A sweep this weekend for Alabama and the Tide will clinch the Western Division’s No. 3 seed at the SEC Championships, which would likely set Alabama up for a rematch with South Carolina in the opening round. Alabama lost a hotly contested 4-3 decision to the Gamecocks in Columbia, S.C. on March 25.
