Women?s Tennis Faces Tennessee and Georgia
3/22/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
TUSCALOOSA, Ala.- The No. 61 University of Alabama women's team hosts No. 31 Tennessee on March 23 at 4:00 pm at the UA Varsity Courts before traveling to Athens,Ga. to face the top-ranked Bulldogs on Sunday at 1:00 pm at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex.
"We are thrilled about returning home to play the Volunteers on Friday," said Alabama head coach Jenny Mainz. "This weekend's SEC matches pose tremendous opportunities for Alabama as we host Tennessee and travel to Georgia on Sunday. We need to be ready for these opportunities and expect big things."
Alabama (5-8, 1-3 SEC) looks to end a three-match losing streak this weekend. The Crimson Tide has faced a tough schedule this season, playing nine ranked opponents in 13 matches. Tennessee is the fourth consecutive ranked opponent for Alabama.
Tennessee (6-7, 1-3 SEC) comes into the match on a four-match losing streak, falling to Duke and Notre Dame last week. The Lady Vols are led by junior Blakeley Griffith at No. 31, posting a 6-6 record from the No. 1 slot in the singles category and the No. 54 ranked doubles tandem Samantha Orlin and Caitlin Whoriskey with a 6-1 record from the No. 2 spot..
The Tide is 13-23 all-time against the Lady Vols since the series' inception in 1977.
Top-ranked Georgia (12-0, 4-0) defeated then No. 1 Florida and East Tennessee State before taking a nine-day pause from competition. Georgia will travel to Auburn before hosting the Tide on Sunday.
Senior Natalie Frazier heads up the lineup ranked No. 6 nationally with a 9-2 dual match record. Other ranked Bulldogs include No. 36 Monica Dancevic, No. 58 Yvette Hyndman and No. 78 Darya Ivanova. Ivanova and Hyndman also hold a doubles ranking as the No. 14 tandem in the country.
Alabama trails the series with Georgia 1-29. The only Tide victory came in 1977 by a score of 8-2.
Live stats will be available for the Tennessee match through www.rolltide.com and admission to the event is free.
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