JACKSONVILLE – Jacksonville State women's tennis will try to get back in the win column this weekend in a pair of matches away from home. They play at Arkansas State at 11 a.m. Saturday, then meet Central Arkansas in Memphis, Tenn., at 8:30 a.m. Sunday.
Jax State (3-4) posted three consecutive wins over Eastern Kentucky, UAB, and Alabama A&M earlier this Spring, but saw their streak come to a close Feb. 4 in Auburn. After falling to Texas Tech in that neutral site pairing, they suffered a second straight defeat at Georgia State on Feb. 16 in their last outing.
Michael Helms' group will return to the courts this weekend in hopes of righting the ship against a pair of tough opponents.
The Gamecocks have had a few standouts impress to begin the new season. Senior
Dariana Prato and sophomore
Polina Ramenskaja are tied atop the team with four singles wins and junior
Zuzana Pavelekova is just behind them with a 3-1 mark. In doubles play,
Irene Artigas owns a 5-1 record and Prato (4-1) narrow trails her.
Arkansas State (4-3) went just 2-18 last year, dropping all 11 of their Sun Belt Conference contests, but the Spring 2024 team has already doubled last season's win total. They opened the season with a 7-0 sweep of Tennessee State and have also added triumphs versus Oral Roberts, Lindenwood, and Arkansas Tech. That win over ATU came in their last match, held in Jonesboro, Ark., on Feb. 16.
Central Arkansas (4-5) won 12 matches in 2023, advancing to the quarterfinals of the ASUN Tournament at season's end. The Sugar Bears return a solid amount of production from last year's squad, but that experience has thus far only resulted in Division I wins over Oral Roberts and Kansas City. UCA has dropped their last three matches against D1 competition and lost both parts of a home doubleheader against North Texas and Southeast Missouri State last Friday.
The Gamecocks and Red Wolves will face off for the first time on Saturday at the Jonesboro Country Club. Jax State is 1-1 versus Central Arkansas, having been beaten in Jacksonville in March 2022 before bouncing back with a 5-2 win in Conway, Ark., last March. Sunday's test, which will be play at the Leftwich Tennis Center in Memphis, Tenn., will be the first neutral site match in the series.
Fans unable to make this weekend's matches can follow along with live stats links provided at JaxStateSports.com. The Gamecocks travel to Cobb County, Ga., next Saturday for a showdown at Kennesaw State.
To stay up-to-date with the Gamecocks, follow their Facebook (Jax State Women's Tennis), Instagram (@JaxStateWTEN), and X (@JaxStateWTEN) accounts.
