Friday, 02/19/2010

Crimson Tide looks to remain undefeated on home court against Panthers

 

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The No. 30 Alabama women’s tennis team (2-3) will be looking to break a three-match losing streak when it hosts the No. 57 Georgia State Panthers (0-4) on Saturday, Feb. 13 at the University of Alabama Tennis Stadium. The match is scheduled to begin at Noon (CST).

 

“We're looking forward to another chance to get better and take a step forward as a team,” said head coach Jenny Mainz. “We always expect a battle from Georgia State as they have a quality squad."

 

The Crimson Tide is coming off a hard-fought 4-3 loss to the Oklahoma Sooners last Saturday in Norman. Alabama dropped the doubles point, but battled back to take a 3-1 lead thanks to solid singles play from the top of its lineup. Sophomore Courtney McLane picked up a huge victory on the day, knocking off the 56th-ranked player in the nation, Ana-Maria Constantinescu, 6-3, 7-6(6). Freshman Alexa Guarachi showed why she is ranked No. 82 nationally, as she cruised by Marie-Pier Huet 6-4, 6-2. Junior Meritt Emery also collected a straight sets win, but Oklahoma hung around with wins on court five and six and claimed the last match of the day in a tough three sets for the 4-3 victory.

 

Georgia State is playing a pair of SEC opponents this weekend, traveling to Starkville to take on No. 58 Mississippi State on Friday before heading to Tuscaloosa to clash with the Tide. The Panthers are still searching for their first win of the season, as they have opened up 2010 with four consecutive losses. Two of those losses came against ranked teams in Athens, Ga. as part of ITA Kick-Off Weekend. The other two losses were 4-3 decisions that Georgia State let slip away, losing at Furman last Saturday and East Tennessee State last Sunday. The Panthers are led by sophomore Diana Nacic, who enters the weekend with a national ranking of No. 42 and a perfect 4-0 singles record.

 

Alabama has never lost to Georgia State, currently holding a 3-0 record in the all-time series. Last season, the Tide managed to fight off the Panthers for a 4-3 victory in Tuscaloosa.

 

Next up, Alabama heads to the Pacific Northwest for a match with the 72nd-ranked Oregon Ducks on Saturday, Feb. 20. The match is slated for 9:00 a.m. (CST).