RICHMOND, Ky. – After opening the new season with a pair of competitive matches against tough opponents last weekend, Gamecock women's tennis again hits the road on Friday morning in search of their first win of 2024. Jacksonville State will take on Eastern Kentucky for a non-conference tilt starting at 10 a.m. CT.
Jax State (0-2) fought hard, but came up short of a victory last time out in Starkville, Miss. They dropped a 4-3 heartbreaker to Middle Tennessee on Friday evening, winning the doubles point before dropping a three-set classic in the No. 5 singles showdown to fall to a veteran Blue Raiders bunch. The next day, the Red-and-White drubbed Mississippi State in doubles play but could not find a result in one-on-one competition in a 4-1 setback.
Senior
Dariana Prato scored a team-best three wins on opening weekend. The four-year starter from San Antoniodel Tachira, Venezuela, went undefeated in doubles action on court three alongside
Irene Artigas, adding a 6-3 win versus MTSU and a 7-5 triumph at MSU. She also beat Ilaria Sposetti of Middle Tennessee in No. 2 singles play, reigning supreme via a 6-3, 6-3, decision.
Eastern Kentucky (1-0) revived their tennis programs last season after discontinuing them on the men's and women's sides at the conclusion of their Spring 2018 campaigns. They went 5-19 last season, winning one ASUN Conference match and falling in the first round of the ASUN Tournament to Kennesaw State. The Colonels opened 2024 on the right foot, however, upsetting Western Kentucky, 4-3, at home on Sunday. Despite dropping the doubles point, EKU rallied to take four singles wins and clinched the match with a three-setter on court two.
Jacksonville State traveled to Eastern Kentucky early in their ASUN Conference slate last season and picked up a 7-0 win in the Bluegrass State. Wins in the top two courts sealed the doubles point before
Zuzana Pavelekova, Prato,
Polina Ramenskaja,
Serafima Shastova,
Anna Syrova, and
Romane Mosse all scored two-set singles victories.
Links to follow along with live stats for Friday's match will be provided at JaxStateSports.com. Following a trip to UAB on Jan. 30, the Gamecocks finally return home on Fri., Feb. 2, as they welcome Alabama A&M to the Jax State Tennis Courts for the 2024 home opener.
To stay up-to-date with the Gamecocks, follow their Facebook (Jax State Women's Tennis), Instagram (@JaxStateWTEN), and X (@JaxStateWTEN) accounts.
