NEW ORLEANS – With the stormy weather out of the way, the University of New Orleans women's tennis program will continue its 2012 spring slate with three matches at the University Tennis Center over three days beginning on Saturday at 10 a.m. against William Carey.
Matches will follow on Sunday at 10 a.m. against the NAIA's No. 1 ranked Auburn-Montgomery with the stretch concluding at 2 p.m. on Monday against the NCAA Division II's No. 1 ranked BYU-Hawaii.
UNO (7-2) intended to get back on the court this past Wednesday against No. 42 Central Oklahoma before rain wiped out the dual. The Privateers dropped their most reaction dual, falling 7-0 to Mississippi State on Mar. 16.
Head coach
Burzis Kanga has kept a similar lineup for most of the season.
In singles' action,
Marta Sans (6-3) and
Kristina Martic (6-3) have held down the top two spots.
Juliet Labarthe (8-1) has been a consistent presence at the No. 3 court with injuries shuffling the bottom lineup amongst
Fanny Benincasa (8-1),
Manuela Gomez (5-3),
Andrea Martin (4-1) and
Sofija Karalic (3-1).
When in doubles' play, Gomez and Sans partner for a 6-3 mark as the Privateers' top entry. Benincasa and Labarthe partner for an 8-1 record while playing primarily at No. 2 with three different teams seeing action at No. 3 in light of injuries.
Following this stretch of action, the UNO women's team will begin a spring break trip to Florida and Georgia with matches against Saint Leo's and Tampa on Mar. 31.
Previews of this weekend's opponents can be found below.
PREVIEWING THE OPPONENTS
No. 9 (NAIA) William Carey
Ranked No. 9 in the most recent NAIA poll, WCU is 6-5 entering the weekend. Four of the five losses for the Lady Crusaders this year have come against NCAA Division I foes as the team prepares to host Emmanuel College on Friday.
Maja Vuzem is the top player in the WCU lineup with a 9-2 mark during the dual season. Vuzem partners with Sarah-Maria Spruch to form the squad's top doubles' tandem with a 6-4 record at the No. 1 court.
No. 1 (NAIA) Auburn-Montgomery
AUM (13-1) has a lone 5-4 loss to Division II power Lynn to on its record. The Warhawks are scheduled to play Xavier (La.) on Saturday as part of a two-match swing through the Crescent City.
Jade Curtis is the reigning NAIA National Player of the Week and is a perfect 14-0 in both singles' and doubles' play. Ranked No. 12 nationally in singles', Curtis partners with teammate Ana Veselinovic to form the NAIA's No. 2 ranked doubles' team.
No. 1 (NCAA Div II) BYU-Hawaii
BYU-Hawaii enter a Spring Break trip through the southeastern United States with a 14-0 record.
Ranked No. 1 in the most recent Intercollegiate Tennis Association poll, the Seasiders possess two players in the top five of the nation in No. 1 ranked Annie Hwang and No. 4 Sherri Liu. A third player – No. 7 Yuan Jia – rounds out the BYU-Hawaii presence in the national rankings.
In doubles' play, Hwang and Sherry Liu form the top tandem in NCAA Division II with Jia and Marietta Tuionetoa comprising a duo ranked No. 11.
