CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Southeast Missouri women's tennis (8-8, 1-3 OVC) hosts Tennessee State for a dual on Thursday in Paducah, Kentucky, before traveling to Jacksonville State for a match on Saturday.
Southeast faces TSU Thursday at 11 a.m. at the McCracken County High School Tennis Indoor Facility in Paducah, Kentucky. The dual with the Tigers was initially scheduled for Sunday, March 31 but was postponed because of cold weather. Thursday's match is indoors due to the threat of inclement weather in Cape Girardeau.
SEMO then heads to Jacksonville, Alabama, for the Redhawks final road dual of 2019 on Saturday against Jacksonville State at 10:30 a.m.
Southeast enters the pair of matches with a .500 mark of 8-8 overall and 1-3 in Ohio Valley Conference play. The Redhawks most recently dropped duals to the 2019 OVC Preseason favorites in Austin Peay (0-7 loss) and Murray State (3-4 loss).
Manuela Barriga and
Romana Tarajova won their third doubles match for the lone Southeast victory at Austin Peay last Friday at the Governors Tennis Center in Clarksville, Tennessee. The duo now have a 6-4 record in duals in 2019.
Teona Velkoska then registered victories at the first doubles and fifth singles positions Saturday versus Murray State at the Bennie Purcell Tennis Courts in Murray, Kentucky.
Velkoska and
Isabella Krupa ousted Anja Loncarevic and Stasya Sharapova, 6-3, at the top doubles spot and
Kseniya Zonova and
Sneha Sinha secured the doubles point at the middle spot with a 6-4 decision on Jeanne Masson and Claire Chang.
The victories were the first for both Redhawks doubles teams in 2019 at the first and second positions as they were flipflopped in the lineup against MSU. Velkoska and Krupa had compiled an 11-4 mark at the no. 2 position prior to last Saturday and Zonova and Sinha are 6-5 at no. 1 singles this season.
Romana Tarajova also earned a singles victory in the dual with the Racers, as she defeated Sharapova, 6-2, 6-3, at no. 1 singles to improve her team-best record to 9-4 this campaign.
TSU is 5-11 in 2019 and is winless in the OVC (0-5). The Tigers most recently dropped 7-0 and 5-2 decisions respectively to SIUE and Eastern Illinois this past weekend. Tennessee State was pegged to finish ninth in the OVC preseason poll.
Jacksonville State has fashioned a 10-3 overall record with a 3-1 mark in league play. The Gamecocks split this past weekend when they hosted Austin Peay (7-0 loss) and Murray State (4-3 win).
JSU was chosen to finish third this season in the preseason conference poll and are led by Harriett Hamilton who is 7-4 at the top singles position. Malin Buechner and Alba Conejero are undefeated (7-0) at the top doubles slot in 2019.
Southeast next returns home to close out the regular dual season Friday, April 19 and Saturday, April 20 at the Redhawks Tennis Complex. The Redhawks host SIUE on Friday, April 19 at 2 p.m. and then face Eastern Illinois Saturday, April 20 at noon.
