TicketsNetters Face Pair of Ranked Opponents
Contact: Geoff Wiswell
2/17/2005
Samantha Liu is now tied for 10th in UC history in doubles wins. |
MATCH FACTS:
Date: Fri., Feb. 18, 2005
Time: Noon ET
Site: Five Seasons Country Club
Records: Cincinnati, 3-5
No. 71 Auburn, 4-1
Date: Sat., Feb. 19, 2005
Time: 3:00 p.m. CT
Site: Minneapolis, Minn.
Records: Cincinnati, 3-5
No. 44 Denver, 4-1
Date: Sun., Feb. 20, 2005
Time: 11:00 a.m. CT
Site: Minneapolis, Minn.
Records: Cincinnati, 3-5
Minnesota, 2-3
The University of Cincinnati women?s tennis team faces a tough test this weekend, with three matches in three days, two against ranked teams. The Bearcats (3-5) host No. 71 Auburn on Friday, Feb. 18 at Noon at Five Seasons Country Club. They then head to Minnesota to face No. 45 Denver on Saturday at 3 p.m. CT and host Minnesota on Sunday at 11 a.m. CT.
ADDED MATCHES: The Bearcats have recently added a pair of contests to their schedule. UC will host Detroit on March 9 at Noon and crosstown rival Xavier on April 16 at 3 p.m. Both matches will be at Five Seasons.
TOUGH MONTH: UC?s spring schedule is jam-packed in February. The Bearcats face nine of their 18 dual matches in the shortest month of the year, including a pair of three-match weekends. They then play just once in March before taking on C-USA foes and the league tournament in April.
MOVING UP: Jill Klauck has led the Bearcats in wins in each of the last two seasons, though most of those wins came in the bottom third of the lineup. This year she has moved up to the top half and the success has not stopped. She leads the team with 11 singles wins and six dual wins, four coming at the No. 2 spot. Additionally, she and sister Julie have gone 5-2 in dual doubles matches.
FINALLY HEALTHY: The Bearcats went through the fall season with only four healthy players, and only two of them were not newcomers. Various injuries fellled Bearcat starters Julie Klauck, Hannah Hinton and Cristina Reyes. Before this spring, Klauck had missed nine months of action recovering from shoulder surgery. UC is now up to seven players, hopefully for the rest of the season. Only sophomore Kirby Doran, who will redshirt this year, remains injured.
GETTING A WORKOUT: Last year Hannah Hinton was the second on team with 33 matches played and 17 wins. She led the team, however, in three-set matches with nine. Seven of her final 13 matches went the distance. This year all three of her matches have been decided in two sets.
DOUBLES SUCCESS: The Bearcat roster boasts three players who have each posted one of the 10 best doubles seasons in school history. Senior Samantha Liu won 24 doubles matches as a freshman, the second-highest single-season win total at UC, and sophomore Hannah Hinton won 23 last year to rank fourth. Senior Julie Klauck posted 20 doubles wins, also in her freshman season, to rank ninth all-time. Liu, with 49 career doubles wins, is tied for 10th in UC annals. At least one the three has had a hand in 10 of UC?s 11 doubles wins.
FRESHMAN TRADITION: The Bearcats have boasted extremely successful freshman in each of the last four years. Lyndsey Molony won 19 singles matches in 2000-01, the third-most ever by a UC freshman. Julie Klauck surpassed that total the next year with 20 wins, and Jill Klauck took it further in 2002-03 with 21 wins. Last year Hannah Hinton won 17 singles matches and a team-best 23 doubles contests.