The Alabama women’s tennis team will open SEC play Friday, traveling to face the Ole Miss Rebels. After the Ole Miss match, the Crimson Tide will continue to play on the road, as it faces off against the Mississippi State Bulldogs Sunday.
The Tide enters conference play ranked 5th in the country with a record of 8-1. In its last match, the Tide came back to defeat the 19th-ranked Texas Tech 4-3.
“In the Texas Tech match we were consistent and solid,” head coach Jenny Mainz said. “We played through the streaks, played the course and we took care of the things we needed to.”
The Tide has competed in nine matches this season. Eight of the nine opponents Alabama has faced this year are ranked. Freshman Maya Jansen said the team’s tough schedule has prepared everyone for conference play.
“All these non-conference matches that we have been playing are really going to help us in SECs,” Jansen said. “Conference play will be tough, but our non-conference schedule was good for us.”
One of the best experiences the Tide had this season was competing in the ITA Indoor National Championships in Charlottesville, Va., where they played against some of the best competition in the country.
“We have played a very steep and stout non-conference schedule,” Mainz said. “National indoors helped us a lot because we played three top 15 teams back to back-to-back in three consecutive days. All of that has toughened us up.”
With the Tide’s first two conference games being on the road, Mainz believes the team is ready to respond and compete in away games.
“We have played well on the road,” Mainz said. “This team has really showed up ready to go; I’m confident that we will continue on that path.”
A factor that has attributed to the team’s success so far this season has been its work ethic. Mainz said she wants to see the team continue to improve and work hard each day as it prepares for the start of conference play.
“I just want us to keep getting better,” Mainz said. “The key for us is to keep getting better. Good things will happen if we stay on course, don’t get ahead of ourselves and keep working forward.”
Ole Miss comes into the match against Alabama ranked 29th in the country with a 2-4 record. Mississippi State enters the match against the Tide at 4-2. Jansen said the Tide is ready to compete in conference play.
“We are really excited for the SEC season,” Jansen said. “We have prepared well and I think we are ready to show off all our hard work.”
Leading in today’s Crimson White:
[Letter to the Editor] Deciphering state’s proposed Religious Liberty Act of 2013
[Letter to the Editor] Celebrating SGA’s future achievements
