CHICAGO – The UIC women's tennis team (0-1) will hit the road for the first time in the dual season to take on the Golden Eagles of Marquette (1-2) on Sunday, Feb. 11 at 11 a.m. CT. The match will be played at the Helfaer Tennis Stadium in Milwaukee, Wis.
LAST TIME OUT
UIC opened up its dual season with a tough 6-1 loss against Big 12 opponent Iowa State on Saturday, Feb. 3.
Melika LeBlanc was responsible for the Flames sole point with her singles victory in the No. 4 spot with a 6-3, 3-6, 10-8 win over the Cyclone's Erin Freeman.
Georgie Sanders and
Lejla Colic were also victorious in their doubles match, but Iowa State grabbed wins in the other two face-offs for the doubles point.
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.
SCOUTING MARQUETTE
Marquette was also defeated 6-1 last Saturday (Feb. 3), by Indiana. The Golden Eagles fought hard, forcing four out of six singles matches into three sets. Milica Novakovic was responsible for Marquette's only point after a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 victory in the No. 3 spot. The Golden Eagles will be facing their second-consecutive Big Ten opponent in Minnesota on Friday, Feb. 9, before returning home to welcome the Flames on Sunday.
