Women?s Tennis Faces No. 45 Iowa on the Road
2/14/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
TUSCALOOSA, Ala.- The University of Alabama women's tennis team heads to Iowa City, Iowa this weekend to take on the 45th ranked Iowa Hawkeyes. The match is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 16 at 12:00 p.m. at the Hawkeye Tennis and Recreation Complex.
"We have another prime opportunity this weekend against No. 45 Iowa," said Alabama head coach Jenny Mainz. "I'm expecting a great battle with the Hawkeyes. We need to continue focusing on getting a day better each day and a match better each match. It's important that we direct our energies into doing the right things on the court in order for us to advance toward our goal of being at our best for the SEC season."
Alabama, 2-3 overall, heads into the match on a three match losing streak after falling to Louisville and Rice last weekend. Despite the losses, the Tide's underclassmen showed promising results. Freshman Meritt Emery was the only Alabama player to pick up wins on both days. Emery went 2-0 from the No. 4 slot in singles and 2-0 in doubles. Fellow freshman Tiffany Welcher earned a singles win against Louisville from the No. 1 position.
"Meritt Emery did a commendable job going 4-0 on the weekend," said Mainz. "Tiffany Welcher also had a good weekend as she demonstrated a lot of tenacity with her hard-fought matches."
Sophomores Alice Tunaru and Paulina Bigos were the only other Tide players picked up singles victories against a ranked Rice squad at the No. 2 and 3 slots respectively.
"Paulina Bigos is playing some convincing tennis," said Mainz. "She has advanced her game immensely. Alice Tunaru had a break-through match on Sunday as she played commanding tennis. We are working forward with each match. I believe the Rice loss will be a turnaround match for the Tide."
The Crimson Tide is 1-1 all-time against the Hawkeyes, dating back to 1982. Last year, the two squads met in Tuscaloosa where Iowa inched out the Tide in a 4-3 decision.
Iowa, 2-0 overall, heads into the weekend on a two-match winning streak after defeating Marquette and No. 60 DePaul last weekend.
Live statistics for the match, as well as complete results, can be found at www.rolltide.com.
-UA-
