MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama women’s tennis team will do battle with the 13th-seeded Hilltoppers of Western Kentucky in the opening round of the 2010 Sun Belt Conference Tennis Championships Thursday at 8 a.m. at the UNO Tennis Center in New Orleans, La. 

"We're looking forward to it," said USA head coach Jaco Keyser. "The conference championships are always exciting and we're going to go out there against Western Kentucky, and who knows, sneak by there and see what happens next."

All 13 members of the Sun Belt Conference will be competing in this weekend’s tournament. The top four seeds include No. 49 Florida International, North Texas, Denver and Troy.

The 12th-seeded Jaguars (1-12) have a 1-6 record against SBC opponents this season, with their lone win coming over UNO 4-3 on Feb. 24. The Jags wrapped up regular season play with a 5-2 loss to Louisiana at Lafayette on April 18 at home.

USA and WKU’s only previous meeting, at the 1992 SBC Championships, resulted in a 5-0 Jaguar win.

South Alabama boasts a combined nine wins in singles action from the No. 1 and No. 2 courts in the spring campaign. Junior Katie Welch, the Jags’ No. 1, has defeated four out of her last five opponents, three in straight sets, while freshman Marie Boura has been victorious in three of her last four duals primarily from the No. 2 position.   

"The results won't show it but they've been developing nicely," said Keyser. "We knew it was going to be a big adjustment and everyone is playing two spots higher than what they're used to, but if you look at individual improvement, it's there."

The Hilltoppers enter the match at 8-7 on the season. WKU is coming off of a tough 7-0 loss to MTSU on April 18.

Western Kentucky is led by senior Carrie True who is 9-5 from the No. 2 and No. 3 flights. Freshman Katrina Vucina joins True on top with an 8-5 record at No.1 and No. 2 singles.

The women’s championship, hosted by the University of New Orleans, will begin on Thursday, April 22 at 8:00 a.m. and last through Sunday, April 25.

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com.  Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

—USA—

THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2010
8 a.m. M1 No. 12 South Alabama vs. No. 13 WKU
8 a.m. M2 No. 6 Louisiana-Lafayette vs. No. 11 New Orleans
8 a.m. M3 No. 7 Middle Tennessee vs. No. 10 UALR
3 p.m. M4 No. 5 Louisiana-Monroe vs. Match 1 Winner
3 p.m. M5 No. 8 Florida Atlantic vs. No. 9 Arkansas State
 
FRIDAY, APRIL 23, 2010
9 a.m. M6 No. 3 Denver vs. Match 2 Winner
9 a.m. M7 No. 2 North Texas vs. Match 3 Winner
12:30 p.m. M8 No. 4 Troy vs. Match 4 Winner
12:30 p.m. M9 No. 1 FIU vs. Match 5 Winner
 
SATURDAY, APRIL 24, 2010
10 a.m. M10 Match 8 Winner vs. Match 9 Winner
10 a.m. M11 Match 6 Winner vs. Match 7 Winner
 
SUNDAY, APRIL 25, 2010
12 p.m. M12 Match 10 Winner vs. Match 11 Winner