Clarksville, TN – After opening its Ohio Valley Conference season with a 5-2 victory last weekend, the Austin Peay State University (APSU) women’s tennis team hosts a pair of conference opponents, Saturday and Sunday. The Governors face Eastern Illinois on Saturday in a 12:30pm match before squaring off against SIU Edwardsville on Sunday at 1:00pm at the Governors Tennis Courts.
Senior Martina Paladini-Jennings leads the Govs with seven singles victories, matching her season total from 2021. The London, England native has won five-straight matches since being elevated to the No. 3 position in the Govs’ March 4th match against Western Kentucky.
In doubles, Austin Peay is led by freshman Denise Torrealba and senior Honoka Nakanishi, who have earned a team-best six wins, including a 4-0 mark from the No. 1 position. Paladini-Jennings and Yu-Hua Cheng are just behind Torrealba and Nakanishi with a 5-3 record while playing exclusively on the No. 3 line.
Eastern Illinois (2-14, 0-2) enters the weekend after opening its conference slate with losses against Southeast Missouri and UT Martin.
The Panthers return all nine players from last season’s team that finished sixth in the OVC, including Rachel Papavasilopoulos, a two-time First Team All-OVC recipient who leads EIU with seven singles wins while exclusively playing the No. 1 position.
SIU Edwardsville (13-2, 1-1 OVC) is the most improved in the OVC this season and leads the conference with its 13 victories.
The Cougars defeated UT Martin, 5-2, in their OVC opener, but fell to the conference-leading Southeast Missouri, 4-3, on March 29th.
SIUE returns eight players from last year’s team that finished fifth in the OVC including Jill Lambrecht, who leads the Cougars with a 13-1 singles record while playing exclusively the No. 2 position.
About the Eastern Illinois Panthers
2022 Record: 2-14 (0-2 OVC)
2021 Record: 4-13 (1-6 OVC)
2021 Season Result: The Panthers finished sixth in the OVC standings and missed the OVC Championship by three matches.
Returners/Newcomers: 9/0
All-Time Series (Since 1996): 17-11 EIU
Last Meeting: The Governors picked up a 6-1 Senior Day victory against Eastern Illinois, April 9th, 2021, to earn their seventh win of the season.
In doubles, Fabienne Schmidt and Danielle Morris remained perfect on the season, earning their ninth win from the No. 1 position. Aleks Topalovic and Jana Leder’s match from the No. 2 court was the next to go final, as the duo won their fourth match of the season and secured the match’s inaugural point.
In singles, Morris, Leder, Topalovic, Paladini-Jennings, and Ana Albertson all picked up wins to secure the Govs’ second OVC win of the 2021 campaign.
About the SIU Edwardsville Cougars
2022 Record: 13-2 (1-1 OVC)
2021 Record: 10-7 (3-4 OVC)
2021 Season Result: After finishing fifth in the OVC in 2021 – one match behind No. 4 Murray State – SIUE missed the OVC Championship and had its season come to an end following a 6-1 loss against UT Martin, April 17th.
Returners/Newcomers: 8/1
All-Time Series (Since 1990): 10-7 APSU
Last Meeting: The Govs won their second-straight match of their 2021 OVC campaign after defeating SIUE, 5-2, April 11th.
Austin Peay State University won on each of its top three singles lines with Schmidt, Morris, and Leder coming away with victories, in addition to Paladini-Jennings win from the No. 5 position.
Follow the APSU Govs
For news and updates ahead of the Governors’ matches against EIU and SIUE, follow the APSU women’s tennis team on Twitter (@GovsWTN), Instagram (@GovsTennis), and Facebook (Austin Peay Tennis).
Next Up For APSU Women’s Tennis
The Austin Peay State University women’s tennis team is back on the road next weekend as they face UT Martin and Southeast Missouri. The APSU Govs travel to Martin to face the Skyhawks in an April 15th 2:00pm match at the Skyhawk Tennis Complex before facing SEMO in an April 16th contest at 1:00pm.
The Govs’ match against the Redhawks is the first since APSU defeated SEMO, 4-3, in the OVC Tournament Championship last season.
