Alabama Women’s Tennis Hosts No. 17 Florida, No. 29 South Carolina in Regular Season Finale

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. ––The Alabama women's tennis team (12-9 5-6 SEC) returns home to face No. 17 Florida (13-6, 7-4 SEC) Friday at 3 p.m. CT and No. 29 South Carolina (12-8, 7-4 SEC) Sunday at 1 p.m. in the Crimson Tide's regular season finale. Both matches will be played at the Alabama Tennis Stadium.

The Matches

Florida

Date: Friday, April 14
Time: 3 p.m. CT
Location: Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Venue: Alabama Tennis Stadium

South Carolina

Date: Sunday, April 16
Time: 1 p.m. CT
Location: Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Venue: Alabama Tennis Stadium

How to Follow

Links to live scoring and the video stream will be available at RollTide.com
Updates will be provided on the team's Twitter account @AlabamaWTN

Promotions

Friday's match will serve as the Crimson Tide's Senior Day Celebration
- Alabama will recognize Kasia Pitak and Ola Pitak in the ceremony, as both athletes will graduate at the end of the season
Pizza and snow cones will be available to fans on Friday as the Alabama faculty and staff, as well as the Tuscaloosa community is invited out to stuff the stands
Sunday will be head coach Jenny Mainz's last home match with the Tide
- Coach Mainz will retire at the end of the season after 26 years at the helm of the Alabama women's tennis program

About the Crimson Tide

Alabama enters the weekend with a 12-9 overall record and a 5-6 SEC record
The Tide is returning home after a split weekend which included downing Missouri, 4-1, Friday and falling to Arkansas, 4-2, Sunday
Ola Pitak and No. 114-nationally ranked Loudmilla Bencheikh continue to lead the Tide in singles with 11 wins each
Anne Marie Hiser trails closely behind with nine wins on the dual season, including winning two of her last three matches
In doubles, Kasia Pitak and Ola Pitak pace the team with a team high of nine wins
The No. 32 doubles team of Bencheikh and Hiser is coming off a ranked win against Arkansas' then-No.45 Morgan Cross and Indianna Spink

Head Coach Jenny Mainz

Head coach Jenny Mainz will retire at the end of the season after coaching the Alabama women's tennis team since 1997
The Dean of Coaches, Mainz is the longest tenured active head coach at Alabama
Mainz was the first female inducted into the Blue Gray Hall of Fame, earning the honor from the prestigious group in 2022
Under her leadership, Alabama has made 15 NCAA Tournament appearances
The 2013 ITA National Coach of the Year, Mainz has coached two NCAA Doubles Champions with another pairing making its way to the national championship match
She has been named the ITA Southern Region Coach of the Year six times and the SEC Coach of the Year three times, including the 2014 season when she led the program to its first Southeastern Conference crown

Scouting The Gators

Florida enters the match ranked No. 17 with a 13-6 overall record and a 7-4 SEC record
The Gators are coming off a loss after falling to Georgia, 4-1, last Sunday
No. 96 Alicia Dudeney enters the match with a team-leading 12 wins
No. 38 Carly Briggs and No. 37 Sara Dahlstrom trail closely behind with nine and 10 wins, respectively
In doubles, No. 49-ranked Alicia Dudeney and Bente Spee lead the team with five consecutive wins at the top of the ladder
At the No. 2 spot in doubles, No. 74 Rachel and Gailis Carly Briggs hold five victories
Alabama and Florida will face off for the 47th time in series history with the Gators leading 44-2
The Gators won the last meeting in April 2022, 4-0

Scouting The Gamecocks

South Carolina enters the weekend ranked No. 29 with a 12-8 overall record and a 7-4 SEC record
The Gamecocks are coming off a loss after falling to then-No.15 Tennessee last Sunday
No. 9 Ayana Akli has recorded 14 wins at the No.1 spot in singles
No. 20 Sarah Hamner has clinched six wins, two of which were against ranked opponents
In doubles, No. 54 Ayana Akli and Sarah Hamner are 7-2 at the top of the ladder
Alabama and South Carolina will face off for the 31st time in series history with the Gamecocks leading 18-12
The Gamecocks won the last meeting in April 2022, 4-1
Prior to playing the Tide, the Gamecocks will face Auburn in a 4 p.m. CT road match on Friday

Get all the latest information on the team by following @AlabamaWTN on Twitter and Facebook and AlabamaWTN on Instagram. General athletic news can also be found at UA_Athletics on Twitter and Instagram and AlabamaAthletics on Facebook.

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