CLINTON, S.C. – After not being in action for the past eight days, the Presbyterian College women's tennis team begins a busy stretch of its schedule on Thursday with a 10 a.m. start at home against UNCW. The Blue Hose continue the swing with a 3 p.m. match against EKU in Chattanooga on Saturday before a 9 a.m. start on Sunday morning against Chattanooga.
MATCHDAY CENTRAL
MATCHUP: UNCW (2-0) vs. Presbyterian (2-4)
TIME: Thursday, February 9, 10 a.m.
LOCATION: Templeton Tennis Courts (Clinton, S.C.)
LIVE STATS: Stat Broadcast
MATCHUP: Presbyterian vs. Eastern Kentucky (1-5)
TIME: Saturday, February 11, 3 p.m.
LOCATION: Strang-Voges Tennis Center (Chattanooga, Tenn.)
MATCHUP: Presbyterian at Chattanooga (3-1)
TIME: Sunday, February 12, 9 a.m.
LOCATION: UTC Tennis Center (Chattanooga, Tenn.)
LIVE STATS: Sidearm Stats
COACH ROBERTS ON UPCOMING MATCHES
"Looking forward to a big weekend for us. We start Thursday at home with UNCW and then a big weekend at Chattanooga. It is a great opportunity against all three teams, and the team has been training hard and are hungry to compete hard."
SCOUTING THE SEAHAWKS
- UNCW enters Thursday's tilt with a 2-0 record, a 6-1 victory over Queens the last time the Seahawks appeared in action. The Seahawks opened the spring with a 5-2 win over NCCU to begin the season.
- UNCW has started the 2023 season fast with a 9-3 record overall in singles, including 2-0 records for both Zoe Huffman and Eda Arli at the top two spots for the Seahawks.
- In doubles, the Seahawks has won five of six matches, including a 2-0 mark for their top two pairs.
- The Blue Hose and Seahawks will meet on Thursday for the fourth time in PC's DI history, with UNCW winning each of the last three meetings. The Seahawks took a narrow 4-3 victory over PC last February in Wilmington.
SCOUTING THE COLONELS
- Eastern Kentucky heads to the weekend with a 1-5 record as the Colonels battle Chattanooga on Friday before battling the Blue Hose on Saturday afternoon.
- EKU has earned a victory over Campbellsville and has already faced Louisville, Northern Kentucky, WKU, and Dayton thus far, with the Norse facing EKU twice.
- The Colonels are led in singles by Emmeline Polevoi and Elena Tairian, who both sit at 3-3 on the season to lead EKU.
- Polevoi and Madison Hill are one of three pairs for EKU to earn a double win thus far.
- PC and EKU will square off on Saturday in the Blue Hose DI era for the first time.
SCOUTING THE MOCS
- Chattanooga begins the weekend at 3-1 as the Mocs are set to battle EKU on Friday morning before a matchup against PC on Sunday.
- UTC suffered a tight 4-3 defeat against Middle Tennessee last Friday after opening the year 3-0 with wins over UNC Asheville, WKU, and Lee University.
- Lucia Melendez leads the Mocs with a 3-0 dual record as Caroline Gibbens sits at 3-1 on the young season.
- The Mocs are led in doubles by the pair of Gibbens and Jessie Young, who sits at 3-1 on the season, playing at the top spot for Chattanooga.
- Chattanooga has taken all three meetings over PC, including, most recently, a 5-2 decision last April in Clinton.
LAST TIME OUT
- Freshman McKenzie Davis earned her second straight and fourth overall singles win of the season as the Presbyterian College women's tennis team suffered a 6-1 defeat on the road on Wednesday afternoon at College of Charleston at CofC Tennis Center at Patriots Point.
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 (Caracas, Venezuela), and Claudia Sanchez (Betera, Valencia, Spain).
- Roberts also welcomes Varvara Nikolaeva (Suffolk, Va.) along with McKenzie Davis (Florence, S.C.) and Claire Giddings (Milton, Ga.) as the three freshmen to the roster for the 22-23 season.
SPRING SLATE
- Head Coach Joel Roberts 2023 spring slate features 20 matches, including 14 in the non-conference, beginning with the weekend's matches at Lander and Clemson.
- 12 of the 14 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 the College of Charleston, Charlotte, and Long Island.
- In conference play, PC hosts Campbell, UNC Asheville, and Radford, with trips to Gardner-Webb, Longwood, and Charleston Southern on tap this spring.
