Tennis: Mountaineers Face A-10 Rival
April 02, 2008 02:44 PM | General
By Steve Stone for MSNsportsNET.com
April 2, 2008
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - The West Virginia University tennis team heads to Gastonia, Pa., for a match against Duquesne on Thursday, April 3, at 1 p.m. at the Lakeview Fitness Club.
The Mountaineers (11-5, 2-1 BIG EAST) prepare for their fifth straight non-conference match and face a familiar foe in the Dukes (9-4, 4-1 Atlantic 10). During its four-match non-conference stretch, WVU is 3-1 and coming off a loss to Big South opponent Coastal Carolina.
WVU will play its 25th match against Duquesne, owning a 23-1 record in a series that began in 1978.
Staying hot for WVU is sophomore Stephanie LaFortune, who won her match at No. 6 singles against Fernanda Shalders of Coastal Carolina, 7-5, 6-3. The Longueuil, Quebec, native has enjoyed a 9-2 mark in her last 11 matches in singles and doubles competition.
The Dukes are coming off a conference win against Xavier, 4-3, and currently hold a three-match winning streak. They are led by reigning A-10 co-player of the week Rebecca Poole at No. 3 singles and No. 2 doubles.
Duquesne has also received solid play from five-time rookie of the week Zena Williams at No. 1 singles and No. 2 doubles. She is 24-2 in singles and 11-3 in doubles play heading into Thursday’s match.
The Mountaineers will return to their comfort zone as they play indoors for the first time since their match against California (Pa.) on March 20. More importantly, WVU Head Coach Marc Walters is eager to see how his team responds after having their six-match winning streak snapped last Saturday.
“Tonight we will be practicing indoors, and that is good because we are more of an indoors team,” said Walters. “The biggest thing for us to get things right for the match. We have a lot on our plate in these next three weeks and I will be interested to see how our team responds.”
