Longhorns conclude their nine-match home stand this weekend against the Panthers, Lady Raiders and Terriers.
WHAT: No. 24 Texas (9-8, 4-0 Big 12) concludes its nine-match home stand this weekend against Florida International, No. 15 Texas Tech and Boston University.
WHEN/WHERE (allmatches at UT’s Penick-Allison Tennis Center)
Texas vs. Florida International
Friday, April 5 – 2 p.m. CT
Texas vs. Texas Tech
Saturday, April 6 – 2 p.m. CT
Texas vs. Boston University
Sunday, April 7 – Noon CT
LIVE SCORING: Available at TexasSports.com
LAST MEETINGS AGAINST FIU, TEXAS TECH AND BOSTON U.: Texas defeated Florida International by a 5-2 count on Feb. 27, 2009 in Austin. Texas defeated Texas Tech in both meetings last season. The Longhorns defeated the Lady Raiders by a 4-2 count in Austin on April 15, 2012. UT defeated Texas Tech once more at the 2012 Big 12 Championship, where it defeated Tech by a 4-1 margin in the semifinals.
Texas holds a 2-0 advantage in its series against Florida International and a 42-2 all-time advantage against Texas Tech. Texas and Boston University have never met in women’s tennis.
I.T.A. SINGLES RANKINGS (TEXAS PLAYERS, AS OF MARCH 26)
41. Aeriel Ellis
50. Breaunna Addison
I.T.A. DOUBLES RANKINGS (TEXAS PLAYERS, AS OF MARCH 26)
16. Breaunna Addison/Noel Scott
LAST TIME OUT: Texas ventured out of conference and dealt SMU a 6-1 defeat on March 31 in Austin.
ELLIS RETURNS TO I.T.A. SINGLES RANKINGS
Two recent victories over ITA top-20 opponents have lifted Texas senior Aeriel Ellis into a familiar position in the ITA singles rankings.
Ellis holds the nation’s No. 41 singles ranking after posting victories over Georgia’s eighth-ranked Lauren Herring and Alabama’s 20th-ranked Mary Anne Macfarlane last month at the ITA National Team Indoors. The two-time All-American added a win over Northwestern’s 41st-ranked Kate Turvy in UT’s road win over the Wildcats.
Ellis added a win over San Diego’s 87th-ranked Laura Claus (retired) in UT’s 5-2 win over the Toreros. The Californian tacked on two more victories over Oklahoma’s 106th-ranked Hermon Brhane and Oklahoma State’s 83rd-ranked Malika Rose. Ellis added another victory over a ranked opponent with a 6-1, 6-4 win over SMU’s 119th-ranked Edyta Cieplucha (March 31).
NEWCOMERS ADDISON, GROENVYNCK OFF TO SOLID START
Eighth-year head coach and former Australian Open doubles champion Patty Fendick-McCain welcomes a pair of first-semester newcomers in Lana Groenvynck (Schilde, Belgium) and Breaunna Addison (Boca Raton, Fla.). Groenvynck reached the semifinals at the 2011 Borreman Cup in Belgium, while Addison is a former singles champion at the prestigious Dunlop Orange Bowl International Tennis Championships.
Addison and Groenvynck made their collegiate debuts inJanuary at the Miami Spring Invite and left the tournament with some impressive results. Addison posted a 3-0 singles record and defeated one opponent featured in the top-60 of the ITA singles rankings. Groenvynck posted a 2-1 mark at the Miami Invite and added a win in the ITA Kick-Off Weekend event.
Addison sits at 15-5 overall in her first semester of college tennis and now holds a No. 52 national ranking. She defeated Northwestern’s 83rd-ranked Belinda Niu to help Texas to its 5-2 win on the ninth-ranked Wildcats’ home courts (Feb. 22). Addison notched a 6-4, 6-2 win over Rice’s Dominique Harmath on March 2. Addison added a 6-3, 6-1 win over SMU’s 77th-ranked Aleksandra Malyarchikova (March 31)
BIG 12 CHAMPIONS BEGLEY, PADEGIMAITE CONTRIBUTING EARLY
Texas junior Elizabeth Begley and sophomore Lina Padegimaite won Big 12 individual singles titles last season and helped Texas win the Big 12 Championships. The pair has made its presence known again in 2013.
Begley, who totaled 34 wins last season, is off to an 11-6 start in dual-match play primarily at No. 4 singles. Begley defeated San Diego’s Marta Stojanovic in straight sets Wednesday in UT’s 5-2 win over the Toreros. Padegimaite is 10-5 in dual-match play this season. She notched the clinching victory in UT’s 5-2 win at No. 9 Northwestern.
THE 2012-13 LONGHORNS
Texas returns six student-athletes from the 2011-12 squad that landed at No. 10 in the final ITA team poll, advanced to the NCAA Championship’s round of 16 and won the Big 12 Championship.
Senior Aeriel Ellis earned her second consecutive ITA singles All-America selection last season and has qualified for 10 of 11 national championship events contested in her time as a Longhorn. The Californian has advanced to the singles round of 16 at the last two NCAA Championships. Ellis posted a perfect 3-0 singles mark in January’s Miami Spring Invite.
Sophomore Lina Padegimaite posted a 22-5 overall singles record and was selected as the Big 12 Conference Freshman of the Year last season. The native of Lithuania cruised to a 9-0 mark last season in conference play. Junior Elizabeth Begley posted an impressive 34-7 overall singles record last season, which included a 21-2 dual-match record and a 9-0 mark in conference play. Begley was selected as the Most Outstanding Performer at the 2012 Big 12 Championships.
Sophomore Noel Scott knocked off several highly-rankedopponents in dual-match play last season and notched 16 singles victories as a freshman. Scott brought a No. 79 singles ranking into the spring season, and she notched a pair of impressive wins at the Miami Spring Invite. UT also returns sophomore Annat Rabinovich and junior Juliana Gajic. Rabinovich posted two singles wins at the Miami Spring Invite.
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