APSU Sports: Austin Peay Women’s Tennis
Clarksville, TN – Austin Peay State University women’s tennis team seeks an end to the season’s 0-4 start with two matches this weekend.
The Lady Govs travel to Southern Illinois for a noon, Friday, match before returning to Clarksville to host Southern Indiana, 2:30pm, Saturday, at the Austin Peay Tennis Center.
“We’ve got to improve mentally with the women,” said head coach Ross Brown. “We’re heading in the right direction with our doubles play. I’m not going to be too concerned with where we are; my concern is getting better. The best way to do that is to get mentally tougher.”
Last season, Austin Peay dropped a hard-fought 4-3 match to the Salukis, with sophomore Ornella Di Salvo and junior Andra Cornea winning No. 3 and No. 5 singles, respectively. This will be the Lady Govs first meeting with Southern Indiana.
Southern Illinois enters Friday’s match at 4-1, owners of a four-match win streak that includes victories over Ohio Valley Conference opponents Murray State and Eastern Illinois, the latter of which were swept by the Salukis in a 7-0 romp. Senior Jennifer Dien is 5-0 this season, splitting her time between the No. 4 and No. 5 singles slots.
“This will be a good test for us to see where we really are,” Brown said. “It gives us a couple of conference opponents to gauge our progress.”
The Screaming Eagles are 3-1 in 2012-2013, with their lone loss coming against OVC foe Eastern Illinois, September 30th. Senior Lindsey White has posted an impressive 3-1 mark in No. 2 singles.
