Tennis Set For Two Duals in Tennessee This Week

// FIRST SERVE
The University of Cincinnati tennis team will be back in action this weekend with a pair of duals awaiting the Bearcats in the Volunteer State. First, UC (5-2) will face host Middle Tennessee State (3-4) on their home courts in a 2 p.m. contest Friday. Then, the Bearcats will be back on the same courts Saturday at 2 p.m. in a neutral-site contest against East Tennessee State (2-3).

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// QUICK SERVES
• Cincinnati enters the weekend with a 5-2 record and winners of three in a row
• The dual with East Tennessee State will be the second neutral-site contest the Bearcats have played this year (W, 7-0, over Army at Akron to open the year)
• This weekend will mark the second time UC has played at MTSU this year after the Blue Raiders played host to the Fall-ending ITA Ohio Valley Region Championships in October
• So far this Spring, the Bearcats have not lost a match at both #4 and #6 singles, combing to go 14-0 so far between the two positions

// STREAKING
So far in 2020, the Bearcats have played seven times, winning five. They opened the year with two wins before dropping three in a row. Since then, the Bearcats have won three in a row, including a 7-0 win over IUPUI and a 5-2 win over Western Michigan at home last weekend.

// SCOUTING: MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE
The Blue Raiders are 3-4 on the year and have lost their last three in a row, including a pair of 4-3 decisions. MTSU is 1-1 at home this year with a 6-1 win over Tennessee State and a 4-3 loss to Ball State with its other wins coming in a 4-3 defeat of Liberty at a neutral site (Naples, Fla.) and a 5-2 win at Murray State.

// SERIES HISTORY: BEARCATS vs. BLUE RAIDERS
Cincinnati and MTSU have met just once prior and the dual was held last year in Cincinnati with the visiting Blue Raiders taking a close 4-3 decision. In the dual, the Bearcats opened with a 1-0 lead by taking the doubles point before MTSU won three singles matches in a row for a 3-1 lead. The Bearcats battled back with wins by Antonella Bramato (#1) and Caroline Morton (#3), but were unable to grab the final point needed as MTSU escaped with the win.

// SCOUTING: EAST TENNESSEE STATE
The Buccaneers enter the match with a 2-3 record and lost their most recent dual, a 4-3 setback to visiting VCU last Sunday. Prior to that, they have posted wins over both Davidson (6-1) and Georgia State (5-2) with road losses to #8 NC State (6-1) and Virginia Tech (6-1).

// SERIES HISTORY: BEARCATS vs. BUCCANEERS
Since the start of the 1990-91 season, Cincinnati and East Tennessee State have met just once before with that dual taking place last year in Cincinnati. In that March 1 meeting, the Bearcats posted a 4-3 victory, doing so in dramatic fashion as they came back from a 3-1 deficit to claim the win. The deciding point was won by Emma Miceli with her 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 decision at #5 singles.

// BACK LOADED
Through seven duals this year, the Bearcats have received a large contribution from the final three singles positions as #4, #5 and #6 are a combined 19-2 in dual action. Included in that are perfect 7-0 marks at both #4 and #6 while #5 has gone 5-2.

// SPREAD AROUND
In the five dual victories this year, the Bearcats have seen the winning point clinched in singles by four different players. Caroline Morton's wins at #2 against both Army and Akron secured wins on opening weekend while Anna Philp's win at #6 clinched the win over Dayton. Last weekend, two more players scored the clinching victory with Ioana Guna doing the honors at #1 over IUPUI and Emma Miceli taking the win at #4 over Western Michigan.

// ABOVE THE (CARO)LINE
With two wins at #2 singles over the weekend, Caroline Morton continued her climb up several all-time career win ladders, including singles and combined wins. In singles, she now has 69 career wins which places her sixth all-time and leaves her one win shy of becoming just the sixth UC woman to record 70 career singles victories. Additionally, she has 123 all-time combined wins, good enough to tie her for ninth with Karen Kippley (1991-94).

// IT'S ACADEMIC
The UC Athletics Department has continued to shine academically with the tennis team being toward the top of the list annually. During the 2018-19 academic year, the team amassed a cumulative GPA of 3.727 as nine players earned recognition from the league as AAC All-Academic. The team also was honored with the AAC Team Academic Excellence Award which is given annually to the team with the highest GPA in the league in each sport. The tennis program was one of five UC programs to have the highest GPA in their respective sport for the 2018-19 academic year. Earlier this month, the grades were released for the Fall 2019 semester with tennis once again leading the charge at UC with its 3.796 GPA the best among all women's teams and second overall behind only men's cross country and their 3.829.

// NEXT TIME OUT
Two more road duals await the Bearcats next weekend as they first will travel to play at Tennessee before venturing to face Indiana. The Bearcats and Volunteers will meet in a 9 a.m. dual in Knoxville, Tenn., on Friday, February 21, before the Bearcats and Hoosier meet up in Bloomington, Ind., on Sunday, February 23, at 11 a.m.