Alabama women’s tennis opens SEC play on Sunday against Mississippi State. The Crimson Tide is heading into the game undefeated in non-SEC play with an 8-0 record streak. This is the first time since 2019 that the team has started conference play undefeated.
“It’s the toughest conference in the country. You have 7 teams in the top 10, if you look at the universal tennis rating, so it’s about staying disciplined, competing extremely hard, and being able to sustain that for a long period of time,” head coach Jonatan Berhane said. “The SEC is brutal.”
So far, out of Alabama’s eight wins, only two teams have put up any points against the Crimson Tide.
The University of Alabama-Birmingham was able to secure the doubles point in a tiebreaker 7-6 (5), but Alabama was able to gain the win after junior Kristina Paskauskas and senior Maria Andrienko won their singles matches in straight sets.
The only other team to secure a point against Alabama was Arkansas State. Against Arkansas, Alabama secured the doubles point, but Arkansas was able to pull away with its single point after winning a singles match.
Paskauskas and freshman Karla Bartel have been a prominent doubles pairing so far. With Paskauskas being a transfer from NC State and Bartel a true freshman, both began the season with a clean slate.
The two opened doubles play for Alabama against UNA during the team’s season opener and came out with a 6-2 win. Against Arkansas State, the pair was able to secure a 6-1 victory.
“We talk about enjoying the wins, but we’re not content, and we will continue to build from here into next week and SEC play,” Berhane said after the Arkansas game.
Alabama will play again on Sunday at noon in Starkville against Mississippi State.
