BEL M-Tennis  |  BEL W-Tennis  | TSU M-Tennis  | TSU W-Tennis

CHARLESTON, Ill. -- Eastern Illinois men's and women's tennis travels to Nashville, Tenn., this weekend to take on Ohio Valley Conference foes Belmont and Tennessee State on Friday (March 29) and Saturday (March 30), with respective 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. first serves.

The EIU men and women enter at 5-4 (1-1 OVC) and 7-3 (2-1 OVC), respectively.  The Belmont men and women own respective 2-11/1-3 and 6-6/2-2 marks, while prior to facing SIUE, the two TSU squads are winless at identical 0-4/0-7 records.

WEEKEND SCHEDULE

Friday, March 29
 9 a.m. ... EIU Women at Belmont
 9 a.m. ... EIU Men at Belmont

Saturday, March 30
 11 a.m. ... EIU Women at Tennessee State
 11 a.m. ... EIU Men at Tennessee State

QUICK LOOK AT THE PANTHERS
After opening the league campaign with an even 1-1 mark, the Panther men are 5-4 overall, which includes 4-3 win over Murray State and a tough 4-0 loss to austin Peay last week.

Newcomer Ryan Henderson leads all Panthers with a 5-3 overall mark, including a 3-1 tally at the No. 6 singles spot.  He is also ties junior Kevin Bauman with a two-match winning streak.

A trio of Panthers -- Michael Sperry, Warren Race and Robert Skolik -- all sport 4-5 single records at their respective No. 1, No. 2 and No. 4 spot in the lineup.  Race currently rides a two-match win streak.

The duo of Henderson and freshman Rui Silva are a perfect 3-0 in No. 3 doubles action, while Bauman and Skolik are a combined 4-2 at the No. 2 spot.

The EIU women, meanwhile, are enjoying a fine season start at 7-3 overall and a 2-1 league record.  The Panthers had their recent four-match win streak snapped by Murray State last weekend, as the Racers gutted out a 5-1 win, but EIU countered with a 4-2 victory over Austin Peay get back in the win column.

Freshman Ali Foster owns the top individual mark of 7-2, which includes a 5-2 record at No. 4 singles.  She's also 6-1 in doubles action when teamed with senior Kristen Laird.

Senior Merritt Whitley and junior Janelle Prisner both sit at 6-3 on the year in their respective No. 1 and No. 2/3 singles, while as a team in doubles, the duo are 5-2 overall at the top of the lineup.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Next week, both Panther units will continue road tennis action, traveling to SIU Edwardsville for a make-up contest on Wed., April 3.  The match was recently postponed due to the recent inclement weather.  Then over the course of the weekend, both EIU squads will head to Jacksonville State, while the men will also visit Tennessee Tech.

... for more info, contact Bart Rettberg, Asst. SID