FLORENCE, Ala. (April 11, 2024) – The University of North Alabama women's tennis team caps the regular season hosting Atlantic Sun Conference foes Austin Peay and Bellarmine this weekend from the UNA Tennis Complex.
 
The Lions are set to face the Governors Friday, April 12 before capping the season with Senior Day against the Knights Sunday, April 14. Both matches will begin at 11 a.m.
 
UNA returns to Florence after a three-dual road slate against ASUN opponents Lipscomb and Central Arkansas and non-conference foe Western Kentucky. The Lions dropped the early matchup against Lipscomb, but they rebounded with two wins against the Hilltoppers and Bears. North Alabama extended its series lead against Western Kentucky with a 10th win while beating Central Arkansas for the seventh all-time win.
 
North Alabama heads into the final weekend just missing out on an ASUN Conference Championship berth, as the top six teams have already clinched a spot to compete for the championship next week in Fort Myers, Fla. The Lions can finish as high as seventh in the league standings, as Kennesaw State, North Florida and Lipscomb own the potential tiebreakers over UNA.
 
Despite missing out, North Alabama looks to end the season on a positive note. Prior to the Austin Peay dual, there will be a dedication of a new tennis scoreboard at 10:30 a.m., gifted through the incredible generosity of Bart Black and his family. Sunday will see the weekend culminate with seniors Kalais Going and Marta Torres honored during Senior Day festivities.
 
Live stats and streaming will be provided for both duals, with full results and a recap posted on RoarLions.com following the action. Fans can also follow along on the UNA Tennis social media pages.
 
MATCH 1
North Alabama vs Austin Peay
Friday, April 12, 2024
11 a.m.
Live Stats | Watch | Twitter
 
 
MATCH 2
North Alabama vs Bellarmine
Sunday, April 14, 2024
11 a.m.
Live Stats | Watch | Twitter
 
 
NOTES
 
SCOUTING THE LIONS: North Alabama has been a threat all season in doubles play, winning matches at a 71.4 percent rate with a 35-14 record. Four players have at least 12 wins in Going (15), freshman Ada Karabacak (15), junior Anoek Pruijmboom (14) and sophomore Stanislava Bobrovnikova (12). All eight players for UNA have secured at least one win in doubles play. The Lions are 61-52 in single matches and win at a 54 percent rate. Freshman Emma Ansorge leads with 12 singles win – 10 coming from the second flight. Ansorge and Going both have at least 10 wins, while each player has won three singles matches.
 
SENIOR SPOTLIGHT: The program will honor Torres and Going prior to the Bellarmine match on Sunday, April 14. Torres spent her final undergrad year with the Lions after spending her first three seasons at Division II Washburn. She's won 116 matches in her career, sporting a 54-40 singles record with a doubles record of 62-24. Going will be completing her fifth year in the program, where she has won 78 career matches. She has 38 career singles wins and 40 doubles wins.
 
MAKING BIG STRIDES: It was a program-record year for the Lions, surpassing the Division I mark for wins in a season. UNA won its record eighth dual in a 4-0 win against Jacksonville State on March 9 – surpassing the previous record of seven set in 2022. North Alabama secured the record with 13 duals left in the season and has a chance for a 16-win season following the conclusion of the weekend. The Lions also completed the away portion of the schedule with six wins – the most single-season road wins in the Division I era and the most since 2012. The Division I era began in 2018-19.
 
AWARDS GALORE: UNA received the most single-season ASUN Player of the Week honors in the Division I era this season, with Karabacak and Ansorge securing the three weekly accolades. Karabacak won the honors on Jan. 31 and Feb. 28 for the most by an individual in program history, while Ansorge received the honor once on April 3.
 
WINNING MENTALITY: The Lions set program records not only single-season team wins in the Division I era but in individual single-season wins, as well. Ansorge has won 12 singles matches on the season — surpassing the individual win record of 10 by Going in 2023. Going broke her own Division I program record, along with Karabacak, with 15 doubles wins this season. The previous record of eight was set by Going and Sydney Flesh in 2021.
 
SCOUTING AUSTIN PEAY: Austin Peay makes the trip to Florence with a 10-7 overall record and a 6-2 conference record. The Governors dropped a 4-3 contest to North Florida on April 7, snapping a four-dual win streak in which they won by an average of 5.5 points. Austin Peay clinched an ASUN Championship Tournament berth in their last win on April 5 – a 6-1 triumph over Kennesaw State. The head coach for the Governors is Ross Brown.
 
SERIES HISTORY: North Alabama meets Austin Peay for the eighth all-time meeting, looking for its second win in the series and first since 2006.
 
SCOUTING BELLARMINE: Bellarmine enters with a 9-15 overall record and a 1-7 mark in the ASUN. The Knights will look to break a six-dual losing streak in the matchup, with their last win coming on Feb. 29. Bellarmine is 68-88 in singles with a 43.6 percent win rate, but the Knights improve to a 50.6 percent win rate in doubles with a 40-39 record. Bellarmine has six players with at least seven singles wins, led by Vendula Kryslova (14) and Nikola Kollaritsch (13). Kryslova and Ekaterina Tikhonko lead with eight doubles wins – all from the top flight. Bellarmine's head coach is Brian Slack.
 
SERIES HISTORY: The Lions and Knights are meeting for the seventh time, with UNA leading 4-2. North Alabama won the previous four matchups – all coming in the Division I era from 2021-2023.
 
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