New Orleans - The New Orleans Privateers women's tennis team (6-4, 1-1) will look to continue their winning streak against a pair of conference opponents this weekend. The Privateers will square off against Stephen F. Austin on Saturday and Northwestern State on Sunday.
The matches are two of seven left on the road for New Orleans. The Privateers finished off their non-conference slate on Thursday when they defeated NJIT 7-0.
Trang Dao and
Lea Alguacil rallied back from losing the first set in singles to win their respective matches in three sets.
"We're getting into the thick of it now with conference play," said Coach
Burzis Kanga. "I think between these next few matches if we can somehow gather at least two out of three we'll be in good shape. We have to take one match at a time perform to the level we're capable of playing."
Highlights from Thursday's win over the Highlanders also included
Claudette Gilhespie and
Yurina Asai scoring the doubles point for New Orleans and moving their record to 5-1 since teaming up against Southern on Feb. 28. Gilhespie and Asai won their match on Thursday in a tiebreak.
New Orleans will also search for wins over both sides in consecutive seasons. The Privateers hosted Stephen F. Austin and Northwestern State last year and the Privateers won both matches by a 5-2 score. Last season also marked the first time the Privateers defeated both teams in the regular season since joining the Southland Conference in 2013-14.
Stephen F. Austin (0-11, 0-4) has fallen on rough times this spring. The Lady Jacks played a tough non-conference schedule that included a top-five ranked opponent in Ole Miss. In conference, Stephen F. Austin has been close to breaking through, suffering a pair of 4-3 losses against Lamar and Nicholls.
On the flip side, Northwestern State is undefeated in conference play (8-5, 4-0). The Lady Demons hold a pair of narrow 4-3 victories over Sam Houston State and McNeese. The Lady Demons have also blanked Lamar and Nicholls. Judit Castillo and Polina Mutel have both won all four of their conference matches in singles.
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