A rejuvenated UIC women's tennis team will take on Oakland Sunday, with their sights set on clinching a top-three seed in the Horizon League tournament.
 
Sitting in first place with an undefeated record entering last weekend, the Flames were hit by health and safety protocols that forced them to play shorthanded in a loss to Youngstown State, and forfeit to Cleveland State.  Now with a 3-2 conference record, UIC will clinch the #3 seed in the tournament with a win in their season finale on Sunday.
 
Agnes Gustafsson and Lea Forste-Dinell enter action as the hottest Flames, with respective 9- and 8-match singles winning streaks intact.  Ana Jover suffered her first dual match loss of the season against YSU when she moved up a flight due to the depleted roster.  She is 14-0 at #3 singles on the year.  Gustafsson and Jover have won eight straight doubles matches together.
 
Oakland will bring a two-match winning streak into this weekend's action.  They will play Milwaukee on Saturday before getting to Chicago.  Wins over IUPUI and Northern Kentucky have vaulted the Golden Grizzlies into tournament contention.  Liza Mladentseva has a team-high nine singles wins, and is 8-4 in the #1 flight.
 
Win or lose Sunday, UIC has clinched a berth in the conference tournament, which will include the top six teams.  Even with a loss, the Flames could still finish as high as third, depending on Oakland's result in Milwaukee and potential tiebreakers.
 
The match will be held at XS Tennis, starting at 10 a.m. if weather permits outdoor play.  If the match is moved indoors, start time will be 9 a.m.  Seniors Nell Arendt, Marina Hermanny de Figueiredo, Ana Jover, and graduate student Dominika Hrabalova will be playing the final home match of their careers.