CONWAY, Ark. - The University of Central Arkansas tennis program begins their final stretch of the regular season as they battle Abilene Christian (10-10, SLC 5-3) and UIW (0-9, SLC 0-6) at home.
The Bears hope to continue their recent success as they wish to continue their three-match winning streak against a pair of formidable foes this weekend.
Starting April 22, UCA will begin its journey to retain their Southland crown that they won back in 2019. However, before that can happen, they must take on the Wildcats on Friday and the Cardinals on Sunday. These will be two crucial matchups as it will determine seeding in the tournament as the Bears currently sit at the No. 4 spot, with ACU following them 1.5 matches back in the fifth spot. UIW does not sit as kindly in the standings as they are currently last in the SLC.
With two crucial matchups that will affect the overall standings, UCA will need all the help possible from their star hitters. Headlining that group is No. 2 sophomore
Fuka Nonoyama. Nonoyama is set to begin her weekend after claiming last week's SLC Player of the Week Award. During last week's tests against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Northwestern State, the sophomore went a combined 4-0. Outside of her, the Bears will need help from their youngest players as freshmen
Jaeun Lee,
Sumomo Hamanaga, and
Maja Gledic have all been part of successful outings in recent weeks. Lee has currently won five of her last eight, Hamanaga has won six of her last eight, including the clinching match against the Islanders and Gledic is 4-3 in her previous seven.
Another massive focal point of the match will be on doubles play. UCA is currently undefeated when they win the doubles point and 0-10 when they fail to clinch that early advantage. While gaining the doubles point is nerve-racking, UCA always has a weight lifted off their shoulders when sophomore
Chunxi Xin and Nonoyama step onto the court. The pairing is currently 8-0 in SLC play this season and will look to finish out the regular season with that undefeated claim as they face these last two opponents. The biggest threat to that mark comes against the Wildcats as they bring their own undefeated pairing to the battle. Nini Memishishi and Ileana Mocciola are a new pairing but have been extremely successful as they are 5-0 this season.
The final matchup of the season will pit the Bears against the winless Cardinals Sunday. UIW is led by their No. 1 Brandelyn Fulgenzi. Fulgenzi has been a lone bright spot for the Cardinals as she is currently 5-1 from the No. 1 spot. This will make for a great final test for Xin as she has come close but fallen in many close matchups this year.
The Bears take on ACU at 1 p.m. tomorrow and UIW at 11 a.m. on Sunday, with both matches taking place at the UCA Tennis Courts.
