After an impressive fall campaign, the Crimson Tide women’s tennis team started the spring season off strong with a 3-1 record and hopes to continue its success throughout the season.
Alabama started the season at home with a doubleheader against Furman and UAB on Jan. 20. This was the sixth meeting in program history, with Furman holding a 3-2 advantage in the series, and the 29th meeting against UAB in program history, with Alabama holding a 27-1 lead in the series. Alabama beat both Furman (7-0) and UAB (4-0) to start 2-0 on the season.
“I’m proud of the way we opened the season and started off strong,” senior Anne Marie Hiser said. “We’re looking forward to showcasing our hard work, dedication and passion for the Tide throughout the season!”
The Crimson Tide is coming off a successful fall season, in which both junior Petra Sedlackova and graduate student Margaux Maquet took home tournament titles.
Sedlackova won the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Southern Regional singles championship and qualified for the ITA National Fall Championships. Maquet ran the table in the singles draw at the Roberta Alison Fall Classic to win the first title of her Alabama career.
This will be head coach Jonatan Berhane’s first spring season as head coach after taking over for Jenny Mainz, who retired at the end of last season after 26 seasons. Berhane is not new to the team, as he has been at Alabama for five seasons and now has a fall season as head coach under his belt. However, he will get a true test over the course of this spring season.
“Overall, we did a good job in our morning match against Furman,” Berhane said. “It was encouraging to see how the team managed themselves under pressure. We need to do a better job staying focused throughout the whole match against UAB.”
Charlotte transfer Maquet went 2-0 against Furman, winning a singles match and a doubles match with partner Ola Pitak, also a graduate student. In Maquet’s first spring season of the team, she has made an impressive transition so far.
“The team came out strong against Furman,” Maquet said. “I thought we competed well against a strong team. We got the job done against UAB as well! Perfect start to the season!”
After the first week, Alabama had a doubles team and two singles players nationally ranked. Doubles duo junior Loudmilla Bencheikh and Hiser are ranked No. 41, and the two singles players are No. 18 Bencheikh and No. 51 Sedlackova.
Last Saturday, the Crimson Tide had a challenge in front of it when the team traveled to Raleigh, North Carolina, to face the No. 8 N.C. State Wolfpack in the ITA Kickoff. The Crimson Tide lost to the Wolfpack 0-4, which put Alabama in the consolation match against Iowa the following day. Alabama beat Iowa 4-2 in the consolation match, improving to 3-1 on the season.
“We are leaving this weekend with a positive note,” Berhane said. “We will get back on the court and keep getting better and prepare our team for our next match versus Tulane.”
Next the Crimson Tide will travel to New Orleans, Louisiana, to compete against Tulane on Saturday.
