NEW ORLEANS – After having their season opener postponed on Wednesday due to rain, the New Orleans women's tennis team will make their first appearance of the season on Saturday at 10 a.m. against Nicholls State at the University Tennis Center.
UNO posted a 10-5 record a season ago, including a 5-5 result in home matches.
Fanny Benincasa's 12-3 mark during the 2012 dual season while playing the No. 4 and No. 5 positions represents the top record for any of the three returning letterwinners from last year's team.
Marta Sans (9-6) and
Kristina Martic (7-7) join Benincasa as returnees. Though just a freshman, Sans played all 15 matches at the top spot in the lineup while the then-junior Martic contested 12 of 14 matches at the No. 2 position.
During the 2012 fall tournament season, Benincasa and Sans teamed to record a 4-1 mark in doubles' play to lead the squad. The duo earned a spot in the championship match of the Lady Demon Invite just two weeks after making a semifinal run at the Big Easy Classic. In singles' play, Martic was responsible for the top results, producing a 2-2 record.
A trio of freshman round out the anticipated lineup for Privateer head coach
Burzis Kanga.
The group includes Soledad Arroyo, Paula Sanchez and
Victoria Svensson. Each of the freshmen made their collegiate debut in the fall.
Saturday's match is the fourth this season for NSU (1-2). The Colonels opened their campaign by falling on the road to SMU (4-3) and Texas Christian (6-1) before a 5-2 win on a neutral court against Jacksonville State last weekend.
NSU is led by Parija Maloo, who ranked No. 111 nationally in the fall before dropping out of the rankings prior to the spring season. Maloo is 1-2 at the No. 1 singles' position and partners with Natalia Cardiff to form a 3-0 doubles' tandem at the No. 1 spot.
Saturday's dual is the final UNO home match until Feb. 24 when McNeese State visits the UTC. Prior to their dual against the Cowgirls, the Privateers will visit Mississippi State (Feb. 8), Sam Houston State (Feb. 15) and Prairie View (Feb. 17) before returning home.
