Women?s Tennis Opens Season with Road Swing
1/27/2012 4:25:00 PM | Women's Tennis
STATESBORO, Ga. – The Georgia Southern Women's Tennis team begins its 2012 campaign by traveling to South Carolina to face Big South Conference foes Charleston Southern and Coastal Carolina. The Eagles open the season on Saturday in Charleston against the Buccaneers at 11 a.m. The road trip will conclude on Sunday in Conway with a battle against the Chanticleers at noon.
Optimism surrounds the start of the Eagles' season as the team is coming off a quarterfinals appearance in the 2011 SoCon Championships. The Eagles also had a very successful fall season, winning several singles and doubles flights in tournaments at UNC Asheville, Kennesaw State, Elon, and Clemson. The team is anchored by returners Natalie Maffett (Rome, Ga.), Alessandra Dzuba (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.), and Paola Garrido (Vigo, Spain), a member of the 2011 SoCon All-Freshman Team. Freshmen Scottie French (St. Augustine, Fla.), Alexis Prickett (Charleston, S.C.), and Cameron Williams (Norcross, Ga.) solidify the roster.
The Buccaneers from Charleston also begin their season on Saturday. They are led by top returners Marija Dzakovic and Olga Makhova, a two-time Big South Conference Player of the Year. Charleston Southern has been selected to finish third in its conference preseason poll and should prove to be a worthy opponent.
The Chanticleers from Conway will play their first match of the year on Sunday. Coastal Carolina is the reigning Big South Conference runner-up and is led by returners Miki Bunea and Kourtney Kowal. The Eagles and Chanticleers last matched up in 2010 as the Eagles narrowly escaped with a 4-3 victory.
Fans can follow their Eagles at GeorgiaSouthernEagles.com or receive short updates at facebook.com/GSAthletics, twitter.com/GSAthletics or on Google+ at gplus.to/GSAthletics.
