PADUCAH, Ky. (February 28, 2025) – The University of North Alabama women's tennis team heads to Kentucky this weekend for two neutral site duals against the Missouri State Bears and Southeast Missouri Redhawks.
Playing at home in the previous three duals, North Alabama readies for the weekend in the Bluegrass State for competition against the Bears and Redhawks. The Lions captured wins in two of their previous three home duals but prep for the neutral bout against Missouri State before ending with the away dual at SEMO.
UNA faces the Bears and the Redhawks before returning back to Florence against Samford on March 7.
North Alabama opens on Saturday, March 1 against the Missouri State before taking on SEMO on Sunday, March 2. Both duals against the Bears and the Redhawks will begin at 10 a.m. Live stats will also be available for the SEMO dual, courtesy of StatBroadcast.
Full results and a recap will be posted on RoarLions.com following the action, but fans can also follow along on the UNA Tennis social media pages.
DUAL 1 INFO
Matchup: North Alabama vs Missouri State
Date: Saturday, March 1
Time: 10 a.m.
Location: Paducah, Ky.
Venue: Larry Heflin Tennis Center (Outdoor) or Rowton Paul Indoor Tennis Center (Indoor)
Social Media: @UNATennis
DUAL 2 INFO
Matchup: North Alabama at SEMO
Date: Sunday, March 2
Time: 10 a.m.
Location: Paducah, Ky.
Venue: Larry Heflin Tennis Center (Outdoor) or Rowton Paul Indoor Tennis Center (Indoor)
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Social Media: @UNATennis
NOTES
LAST TIME OUT: North Alabama earned a second-straight win in home action versus instate rivals, Jacksonville State. It was a solid effort against the Gamecocks, taking the doubles point before three singles wins from sophomore Ada Karabacak and juniors Stanislava Bobrovnikova and Eeva Ristola sealed the victory from the UNA Tennis Courts. It also marked the second-straight win over the Gamecocks, also taking a win during the 2024 season.
STANISLAVA THE STAR: Bobrovnikova received her first accolade from the Atlantic Sun Conference after being named the Women's Tennis Player of the Week on Feb. 26. She secured three wins from the top flight, helping North Alabama go 2-0 in home wins versus the Jackson State Tigers and Jacksonville State Gamecocks. She earned UNA's second of the season, joining sophomore Ada Karabacak who won the first on Feb. 5.
SCOUTING THE LIONS: UNA continues to be a dominant force in doubles play, with the team securing wins at a 73.3 percent rate. North Alabama has three players with at least five doubles wins in sophomore Mathilde Delaney (6), junior Eeva Ristola (5) and sophomore Emma Ansorge (5). Of those three, Ristola and Delaney have not lost in doubles competition. In singles, the Lions gain victories 59.4 percent of the time, led by five wins from Bobrovnikova and Karabacak.
SCOUTING MISSOURI STATE: North Alabama opens the weekend with its first-ever meeting against Missouri State. The Bears are 1-10 on the year, looking to get back in the win column after dropping their last four. Their last win came against a familiar face from the Atlantic Sun Conference, defeating Central Arkansas, 6-1, on Feb. 9. Missouri State was picked to finish sixth in the Missouri Valley Conference Preseason Poll. Billur Gonlusen and Raluca Puscas lead with four singles wins, while Gonlusen and Nicole Ross have a team-high three doubles wins. Missouri State's head coach is Austin Hale.
SCOUTING SEMO: The Redhawks cap their neutral-site duals with a bout against the Lions. Coming into the weekend, SEMO is 7-7 on the year and coming off of two-straight wins versus Tennessee Southern and Belmont. The Redhawks had high expectations coming into the season, being picked to finish second in the Ohio Valley Conference Preseason Coaches Poll. SEMO wins singles matches at a 53.8 percent rate, led by 17 wins from Juliette Demunck. Mia Mayerova and Maja Bajorek lead the team with 12 wins in doubles, combining for a 12-9 record. The head coach for the Redhawks is Steve Brooks.
SERIES HISTORY: The matchup marks only the second all-time meeting between North Alabama and SEMO. Last playing in 2023, the Redhawks defeated the Lions, 5-2.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
