Blue Hose Open Home Slate with Pink-Out on Friday Morning

PC Battles UNCG on Sunday in Greensboro

CLINTON, S.C. – The Presbyterian College women's tennis team is set to open its home schedule on Friday morning with a 10 a.m. first serve against North Florida for a Pink-Out match honoring former player Kathryn Lois Kleckley. The Blue Hose wrap up the weekend with a 12 p.m. first serve on the road against UNCG.

MATCHDAY CENTRAL
MATCHUP: North Florida (1-1) vs. Presbyterian (2-1)
TIME: Friday January 27, 10 a.m.
LOCATION: Templeton Tennis Courts (Clinton, S.C.)

MATCHUP: Presbyterian at UNC Greensboro (1-2)
TIME: Sunday January 29, 12 p.m.
LOCATION: UNCG Tennis Courts (Greensboro, N.C.)

COACH ROBERTS ON UNF & UNCG MATCHES
"Excited to build off of last weekend with two really good matches this weekend. Both North Florida and UNCG are great teams so I'm looking forward to how the team comes out against each of them beginning on Friday morning."

SCOUTING THE OSPREYS
- North Florida enters Friday's matchup with a 1-1 record following a 4-0 victory over Kansas State in its most recent action. The Ospreys suffered a 5-2 defeat to begin their 2023 season against Florida Atlantic.
- UNF finished the 2022 spring season with a 15-9 record that saw the Ospreys make it to the ASUN semifinals before falling to Stetson.
- North Florida has taken advantage of its doubles play thus far as the Ospreys have won four of six doubles matches thus far in the 2023 season led by the pair of Kit Gulihur and Ana Paula Melilo who won both their doubles matches to begin the season.
- In singles play, Gulihur is 1-1 and Annabelle Davis also sits at 1-1 on the season playing in the top two spots respectively for UNF.
- Friday's match serves as the second all-time meeting between the two schools in the DI era as UNF defeated PC 7-0 on February 28 of the 2021 season.

SCOUTING THE SPARTANS
- UNCG currently has a 1-2 record to begin the 2023 spring season with a win against Big South foe Longwood by the score of 6-1 as the Spartans suffered defeats against Clemson and UNC Asheville.
- The Spartans are slated for a matchup on Thursday in Durham against NCCU before hosting Campbell on Saturday with the Blue Hose on tap Sunday for UNCG.
- Raegan Mitchell leads the Spartans in singles play with a 2-0 record as Olivia Gallagher sits with a 2-1 mark on the season.
- Hanna Giddings and Gallagher are 2-1 at the top doubles spot for UNCG thus far in 2023.
- UNCG and PC meet on Sunday for the first time in the program's DI history.

FRIDAY'S PINK-OUT MATCH
- Prior to first serve on Friday, the Blue Hose and Ospreys will honor Kathryn Lois Kleckley who passed away in the spring of 2022. Kleckley played for PC in the mid 2000's and was teammates with current UNF head coach Catherine Dunagan.
- "Cannot wait to honor Kathryn Lois Kleckley on Friday against North Florida. We will be having a pink out match in her honor. She was a great person, teammate, daughter, sister and friend and everybody loved being around her," commented Coach Roberts.

LAST TIME OUT
- On Sunday, The Presbyterian College women's tennis team fell to the host Clemson as the Tigers earned a 7-0 victory over PC at the Duckworth Family Tennis Facility.
- On Saturday, The Presbyterian College women's tennis team opened the spring slate earning a 5-2 victory at Joe Cabri Tennis Center over Lander.
- In the match against Lander, freshman Varvara Nikolaeva earned a win at No. 3 doubles in her college debut for the Blue Hose.

NEWCOMERS
- Presbyterian returns four players from last season's team while adding a trio of new faces to the squad for the 2022-23 season.
- Fourth year head coach Joel Roberts welcomes back junior Lucianna Piedra (Mexico City, Mexico), sophomore Madison Dennett (Palm City, Fla.), Valentina De Sousa (Caracus, Venezuela) and Claudia Sanchez (Betera, Valencia, Spain).
- Roberts also welcomes Nikolaeva (Suffolk, Va.) along with McKenzie Davis (Florence, S.C.) and Claire Giddings (Milton, Ga.) as the three freshman to the roster for the 22-23 season.

SPRING SLATE
- Head Coach Joel Roberts 2023 spring slate features 21 matches including 15 in non-conference beginning with the weekend's matches at Lander and Clemson.
- 12 of the 15 non-conference matches occur against teams who tallied 10+ wins during the 2022 season highlighted by three with 19 wins last year. The three teams to total 19 victories were College of Charleston, Charlotte and Long Island.
- In conference play, PC plays host to Campbell, UNC Asheville and Radford with trips to Gardner-Webb, Longwood and Charleston Southern on tap this spring.

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Players Mentioned

Madison Dennett: 5' 2"; Freshman

Valentina De Sousa: 5' 6"; Freshman

Claudia Sanchez: 5' 4"; Freshman

Lucianna Piedra: 5' 6"; Junior

McKenzie Davis: 5' 11"; Freshman

Claire Giddings: 5' 7"; Freshman

Varvara Nikolaeva: 5' 6"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

Madison Dennett
: 5' 2"; Freshman

Valentina De Sousa
: 5' 6"; Freshman

Claudia Sanchez
: 5' 4"; Freshman

Lucianna Piedra
: 5' 6"; Junior

McKenzie Davis
: 5' 11"; Freshman

Claire Giddings
: 5' 7"; Freshman

Varvara Nikolaeva
: 5' 6"; Freshman