LIVINGSTON, Ala. - The University of West Alabama Tennis program is set to open GSC Play in a big way, welcoming West Florida on Saturday for a 10:00 a.m. Doubleheader.
The West Alabama Women enter Saturday's matchup as the new No. 1 team in the country, with their latest win coming over Cameron University. For West Florida's Women's Team, they enter as the No. 2 ranked team in the country, setting up a No. 1 vs No. 2 matchup at the Vaughan Tennis Complex.
On the Men's side, UWA comes in after a 4-1 win against Cameron University while No. 2 UWF enters after extending their win streak to five with a victory over Montevallo.
WOMEN'S TENNIS: No. 1 UWA vs No. 2 UWF
Winners of their last five matches, the Tigers are playing their best tennis of the young season, resulting in their No. 1 ranking in the ITA Top-25. Alexa Milliam and Shaira Rivera are West Alabama's top singles places as both are ranked within the top-25. Milliam is currently ranked 12th while Rivera comes in as the nation's 24th best singles player.
On top of Milliam and Rivera being nationally ranked, Valentina Mutilba continues to emerge in singles, bringing a 4-2 singles record into Saturday's match. Playing on Line Four, Jian Ibrahim is the reigning GSC Freshman of the Week, adding even more firepower to a talented UWA lineup.
As for West Florida, they fell in the ITA Indoor Championships to No. 3 Barry earlier this season. The Argos' play in that tournament skyrocketed them to the No. 2 ranking in the country and they've held that spot since.
Similar to the Tigers, UWF has won four straight matches and bring a 7-4 overall record into Saturday's contest. Guadalupe Martinez and Aline Midori Da Silva are the Argos top singles players, with the duo combining for a 37-8 record since the Fall. Sandra Recuenco is usually slotted into the No. 2 spot for West Florida and is the reigning GSC Player of the Week.
MEN'S TENNIS: UWA vs No. 2 UWF
Standing at 4-2, West Alabama bounced back from back-to-back losses with a 4-1 victory over Cameron on Sunday. Gabriel Garay, Afonso Portugal, Jacob Tapia are the Tigers' top singles players. Arguably UWA's top player on their entire roster, Matias Iturbe has yet to make his West Alabama, but his debut is imminent. If the Tigers are on their "A game", they have the talent to matchup with anyone in the Region, and are presented with a golden opportunity with the No. 2 team in the country coming to their home court on Saturday.
West Florida enters on a five-game winning streak with wins coming over No. 21 Mississippi College, UT Tyler, Cameron, No. 24 Midwestern State, and Montevallo. Diego Duran leads the way for UWF as he's currently undefeated in singles play at 7-0 on the year. Goncalo Quintela is also 5-0 while Sebastian Robson is 8-1 on the season, creating a talented trio for the Argos.
First serve is set for 10:00 a.m. on Saturday.
