FLORENCE, Ala. (March 27, 2024) – The University of North Alabama women's tennis team gears up for three duals against EKU, Queens and Alabama State at the UNA Tennis Complex this weekend.
The Lions open the home slate against Atlantic Sun Conference foe EKU on Thursday, March 28 at 3 p.m. UNA follows with its Queens dual on Saturday, March 30 at 3 p.m. and concludes with Alabama State on Sunday, March 31 at 10 a.m.
UNA is returning home after five-straight road duals, finishing with a 5-2 win against Alabama A&M on March 13. The Lions began ASUN play during the trip, with North Alabama still in search for its first conference win. North Alabama was narrowly defeated by Kennesaw State and North Florida in the last two duals, falling to the Owls and Ospreys by 4-3 finals.
The Lions look to start building momentum for the postseason, with eight duals to go before the start of the ASUN Conference Championships set for April 19-21 in Fort Myers, Fla.
Live stats and streaming will be provided for the duals, with full results and a recap posted on RoarLions.com following the action. Fans can also follow along on the UNA Tennis social media pages.
MATCH 1
North Alabama vs. EKU
Thursday, March 28, 2024
3 p.m.
Live Stats | Watch | Twitter
MATCH 2
North Alabama vs. Queens
Saturday, March 30, 2024
3 p.m.
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MATCH 3
North Alabama vs. Alabama State
Sunday, March 31, 2024
10 a.m.
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SCOUTING THE LIONS: The Lions look to extend their unbeaten record at home with the three-dual week. UNA wins doubles at a 75 percent rate with a 24-8 record, and in singles, North Alabama is winning over 50 percent of their matches with a 37-36 mark. Senior Kalais Going and freshman Ada Karabacak each have 11 wins in doubles, including a 4-0 record when playing together. Karabacak is also 6-0 with junior Anoek Pruijmboom, extending the streak in the 2-0 week against Kennesaw State and North Florida. Freshman Emma Ansorge is the leader in singles wins with eight – playing primarily the second flights. She is 6-3 when playing from flight two and 2-0 from three and 0-1 from four for an 8-4 singles record.
SCOUTING EKU: EKU heads to Florence at 9-12 overall with a 2-2 ASUN record. The Colonels are coming off a 5-2 loss to Central Arkansas and will hope for a return to the win column against UNA. EKU is 23-32 in doubles and 59-61 in singles, with Marilou Cote leading the Colonels with 21 wins across singles and doubles. Emmeline Polevoi paces the Colonels individually from singles with 12 wins, and the head coach for EKU is Adam Cohen.
SERIES HISTORY: North Alabama and EKU meet for the second all-time meeting and first since 1988. The Colonels beat the Lions, 5-1, in the initial matchup.
SCOUTING QUEENS: Queens enters the dual still in search of its first win of the season. The Royals are 0-16 and 0-5 in the ASUN, falling to Central Arkansas last time out, 6-1. Jessica Maras has the most wins in singles for Queens with three, and Katsiaryna Tuliakova has two wins in doubles to lead the team. The head women's tennis coach is Alex Leatu.
SERIES HISTORY: This is the second all-time meeting for North Alabama and Queens, with UNA winning the first meeting last season in Charlotte, 4-2.
SCOUTING ALABAMA STATE: North Alabama concludes the weekend against the Hornets. Alabama State is currently 11-6 overall and 8-0 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. Their last outing came in a 4-0 win over Alabama A&M on March 24, avenging a 4-3 loss to Mercer two matches prior. The Hornets enter 24-15 in doubles matches for a 61.5 win percentage and 50-25 in singles for a 66.7 win percentage. Madalena Andrade leads the Hornets with 13 wins from doubles, and Sahra Bouchaala is the leader in singles with 12. Alabama State's head coach is Anuk Christiansz.
SERIES HISTORY: The Lions and Hornets have met eight times previously, with series tied at four apiece. Alabama State won the first four matches from 2013-16, but North Alabama responded with four-straight wins from 2019-23. All four UNA losses came during the Division II era, while all four wins came during the Division I era.
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