Ladyjacks Prep for Pair of Sun Belt Conference Opponents
2/11/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
MATCH SEVEN • Stephen F. Austin (5-1) vs. Arkansas State (0-0)
DATE/TIME • Friday, Feb. 12 | 1:00 p.m.
SITE • Schlief Tennis Complex | Nacogdoches, Texas
MATCH EIGHT • Stephen F. Austin (5-1) at Louisiana-Monroe (4-0)
DATE/TIME • Saturday, Feb. 13 | 3:00 p.m.
SITE • Raymond Heard Stadium | Monroe, La.
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – One match at home and another on the road in the span of two days is the schedule that awaits the Stephen F. Austin women’s tennis team as the Ladyjacks return to action following a layoff of almost one week.
Boasting a record of 5-1, SFA welcome Arkansas State to the Schlief Tennis Complex at 1 p.m. on Friday afternoon before making the three-hour journey to the University of Louisiana Monroe to tangle with the Warhawks on Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m.
“Last week’s matchup with Oklahoma served a good way to gauge our readiness headed into the last leg of our non-conference schedule,” said head coach Jon McLaughlin. “Obviously Dhanielly had an excellent afternoon, but I was pleased with the way we competed all through our lineup. I’m confident that the pointers we picked up following that match will help us clean up our game moving forward.”
Senior Dhanielly Quevedo parlayed a 1-6, 6-2, 1-0 (10) win at number-two singles into the Ladyjacks’ lone team point in the 6-1 loss as well as a Southland Conference Player of the Week citation – the first of her career. Competing exclusively at the number-two singles slot, the Caracas, Venezuela, product owns a 3-1 record. Fellow senior Valeria Terentyeva’s 5-1 showing in number-three singles represents the highest number of wins in the Ladyjacks’ ranks so far this season.
Anchoring the doubles portion of things for SFA is the junior/freshman tandem of Denise Maxl and Vanesa Calvo Pardo. The pair has joined forces to secure a 5-0 record in the number-two doubles slot
Arkansas State • Roster • Schedule • Statistics
Friday afternoon signals the beginning of the Red Wolves’ dual match season in which Arkansas State will tangle with SFA for just the second time ever. In 2015, ASU compiled a mark of 4-13 and advanced to the quarterfinal round of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament where its season came to a close via a 4-0 setback to Georgia State.
With the departure of senior Tamara Sjijepcevic – a Sun Belt All-Conference Singles First Team selection in 2015 – head coach Kel Lange puts out junior Julie Gaughery as his number-one singles player and also stacks his lineup with the likes of sophomore Sabina Jeresic and freshman Shelby King.
Through the fall and early spring seasons, King has raced out to an 8-4 record while Jeresic has totaled six wins. Friday afternoon marks the first of two Southland Conference stops the Red Wolves will make on their opening weekend of the season. On Saturday afternoon, ASU travels to Beaumont, Texas, to tangle with Lamar.
Louisiana-Monroe • Roster • Schedule • Statistics
Four games into their 2016 slate, the Warhawks have yet to experience a loss and are aiming for an eventual return trip to the Sun Belt Conference Tournament. At that event a season ago, ULM dropped a 4-3 heartbreaker to eventual champion and NCAA Tournament participant South Alabama.
Now in his 10th season as the Warhawks’ head man, Terrence De Jongh relies heavily on the leadership of the team’s lone senior – 2015 First Team All-Sun Belt selection Petra Horakova. The product of or Trnava, Slovakia, rolled to a record of 17-2 competing primarily in the number-three singles slot a season ago.
While teamed with then-senior Sophie Rufyikiri in 2015 doubles action, Horakova put up a 10-2 record. Through their four matches this season, the Warhawks have relied heavily on the back end of their singles flights to pick up all four of their wins by two points or less.
Both Tiffany Mylonas (No. 3/4 singles) and Luana Stanciu (No. 5/6 singles) are the owners of 4-0 records and Ioana Popescu has notched a 3-0 mark to round out the three winningest Warhawks so far this season.
The most successful doubles squad boasted by the Warhawks is the Mylonas/Stanciu combination as they have raced out to a 3-1 showing playing in the first and second tandem battles.
-SFA-
