LUBBOCK, Texas – The Texas Tech Red Raiders welcome Incarnate Word, Abilene Christian and UTEP to Lubbock this weekend for three matches.
On Saturday, January 21, the Red Raiders will face UIW at 10 am indoors at The Falls Tennis and Athletic Club.
Tech will host a doubleheader the following day on Sunday, January 22 against ACU and UTEP. The first match on Sunday against ACU will be at 10 am at The Falls, while the match against UTEP will move outdoors, weather permitting, at the McLeod Tennis Center at approximately 3 pm
The Red Raiders are playing in their first dual matches of the season after traveling to the Duel in the Desert tournament last weekend in Indian Wells, Calif. At the tournament, Metka Komac led in wins with four total, while both Olivia Peet and Avelina Sayfetdinova picked up ranked singles victories against players from Auburn and Kansas.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
The Incarnate Word Cardinals come into Saturday’s match with an 0-1 record after losing to SMU on Thursday. Last season, the Cardinals went 10-12 on the year and 1-5 in conference play. The Cardinals have a doubles pair ranked by the ITA as Brandelyn Fulgenzi and Lauren Fulgenzi sit at No. 48. The Fulgenzi duo won the doubles title at the ITA Texas Regionals, defeating Tech’s pair of Komac and Cristina Tiglea for the trophy. Saturday marks the first time in program history that both teams will meet.
Abilene Christian also played SMU for their first dual match of the season on Thursday, recording a 4-0 loss against the Mustangs. They will also face UTSA on Saturday before heading to Lubbock. Last year, the Wildcats recorded a 9-12 overall record and a 2-4 conference record. ACU was led in singles by returner Andrea Guererro, who went 11-5 on the season at court four. The Red Raiders currently hold a 26-2 all-time record against the Wildcats.
UTEP is 0-1 on the season with a 5-1 loss against Arizona this past Sunday. Last year, the Miners went 8-11 and lost in the first round of the Conference USA Championships to Charlotte. Currently, Veronika Lebisova leads the team in singles with five wins followed by Thassane Abrahim and Carlotta Mencaglia with four wins apiece. The Red Raiders hold a 16-2 all-time advantage over the Miners.
FOLLOW ALONG
For indoor matches, only live stats will be provided. Live video will be available if a match is moved outdoors here. Live stats for all matches can be found at this link. Follow @TexasTechWTEN on Twitter for updates and scores of the matches.