CHICAGO – The UIC women's tennis team (0-2) will make the short trip to Homewood, Ill. to battle fellow city school Chicago State (2-6) for a mid-week matchup on Tuesday, Feb. 13 at 10 a.m. at the H-F Racquet and Fitness Center.

LAST TIME OUT
UIC dropped a 6-1 decision at Marquette on Sunday (Feb. 11) at the Helfaer Tennis Stadium in Milwaukee, Wis.  The Flames took two of three doubles matches to secure the doubles point, but were unable to find a victory against the Golden Eagles in singles play. Georgie Sanders and Lejla Colic grabbed a 6-3 victory at No. 1 doubles, while Rachel Le Comber combined with Melika LeBlanc for a convincing 6-1 at No. 2 to give the Flames the doubles point.

SCOUTING CHICAGO STATE
Chicago State snapped a four-game skid with a 4-3 win over Horizon League-member Detroit Mercy on Friday (Feb. 9). The Cougars won the doubles point after taking victories in their final two doubles matches for an early 1-0 lead, which ended up being the difference maker, as they split the six singles matches 3-3 with the Titans.

UIC AND CHICAGO STATE: A HISTORY
Chicago State owns a slight advantage in the all-time series between the two squads, 4-5, but the Flames own the most recent victory after defeating the Cougars 6-1 last year. In last season's 6-1 victory, Miranda Rodriguez Diaz de Leon, Rachel Le Comber and former Flame Oana Manole were all victorious in both singles and doubles play to give UIC the win. The Cougars were in attendance at the UIC Invitational this fall, and the Flames were able to grab four singles victories and a pair of doubles victories in matches against Chicago State opponents.

FLAMES FALL FINISH
The Flames competed in three fall tournaments prior to the ITA Regionals: the Cincinnati Invitational, the Wildcat Invite and their own UIC Invitational. The Flames ended fall tournament play with a combined 32-31 record in singles play and 18-17 in doubles, and were highlighted by newcomer Amelia Guevremont's 8-2 showing. Veterans Rachel Le Comber and Georgie Sanders both wrapped up the fall season with a 5-5 record in singles play. On the doubles side, UIC was led by the duo of Viktoria Seifert and Stefana Vasic (4-2) as well as Georgie Sanders and Lejla Colic (5-5).

FLAMES PICKED FIRST IN HL PRESEASON POLL
UIC was picked to finish first in the Horizon League Preseason Poll, receiving five of a total possible nine first-place votes. The Flames finished with a total of 86 points, just ahead of Youngstown State in second with four first-place votes and 84 total points. Cleveland State (63) finished third, Wright State (57), fourth, while Northern Kentucky (53), Detroit Mercy (47), Oakland (46), Milwaukee (27), IUPUI (23), and Green Bay (9) finished fifth through tenth, respectively.

UIC ADDS THREE
This year's roster boasts nine players consisting of three newcomers and six returners. Amelia Guevremont is the only true freshman in the bunch, having arrived in Chicago by way of Verdun, Quebec. Sophomore Lejla Colic joins UIC after finishing her freshman season at Washington State, where she was 13-9 in singles play and 12-8 in doubles. Viktoria Seifert joins the Flames after two years at Seminole State, where she was the Trojans' number one player in both singles and doubles in her sophomore year. Returning to the roster are veterans Rachel Le Comber, Melika LeBlanc, Miranda Rodriguez Diaz de Leon, Georgie Sanders, Stefana Vasic and Bianca Zuzu.