CONWAY, Ark. – The Central Arkansas tennis team is looking to clinch a spot in the Southland Conference Tournament this weekend when they welcome the University of Incarnate Word Cardinals and red-hot Abilene Christian Wildcats to the UCA Tennis Courts. The Bears (14-7, 6-2 SLC) will start the SLC weekend off with the Cardinals on Friday at 11 a.m. and conclude with the Wildcats on Sunday at 11 a.m. Seniors QiLi Ma, Marli Van Heerden and Rada Manataweewat will be recognized for their historic careers on Sunday.
MEET THE CARDINALS
The Cardinals will arrive in Conway on a nine-game losing streak. They currently sit at the bottom of the SLC standings with an 0-9 record and are 0-5 on the road. Even though the record presents an easy matchup for the Bears, the Cardinals had narrow 3-4 losses against Sam Houston State and New Orleans. Central Arkansas will look to keep its undefeated home record intact against Incarnate Word on Friday.
MEET THE WILDCATS
The Wildcats present a much tougher task for the Bears as they boast a conference best 8-0 SLC record. They currently hold a four-game winning streak and have won eight of their last nine. Before the match with the Bears, the Wildcats will face second-place Northwestern State Lady Demons in Louisiana on Friday.
Three of the six singles players are currently riding a conference winning streak of three games or more. Defending SLC Player of the Week sophomore Nini Memishishi will enter the weekend coming off four victories against Lamar and Corpus Christi in singles and doubles play. She is 6-2 at the No. 3 position. Freshman Alison Stewart is 7-0 at the No. 5 position while sophomore Ileana Mocciola is 7-0 at the No. 6 spot. Abilene Christian is also dominant in doubles play as they boast an overall record of 14-3 in SLC play.
WHAT'S AT STAKE
The Bears can clinch a spot in the SLC tournament with a win over the Cardinals on Friday morning. Even if they lose, a loss from Lamar, New Orleans or Southeastern Louisiana will grant them a spot in the tournament. With wins over both the Cardinals and Wildcats, the Bears can move into the No. 2 spot in conference standings and have a chance to finish as SLC champions with a win over Corpus Christi on April 19.
