MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama women's tennis team will take their unbeaten record and head to Birmingham, Ala. for a pair of matches against Samford and UAB on Friday and Saturday.

USA, which is off to the program's best start since 2008 at 8-0, will face Samford Friday at 1 p.m. and UAB on Saturday at noon.

The Jaguars extended their win streak Wednesday morning with a 4-2 victory over St. John's, where sophomore Michaela Meszarosova (Bratislava, Slovakia) rallied from a first-set loss at No. 1 to clinch the win and keep the match from heading to doubles.

"The St. John's win definitely helps," USA head coach Jaco Keyser said. "With each win you get, confidence and self-belief grows a little bit. From here on out, starting with Central Florida (last week), each match we can win 4-3 or 5-2, or lose by the same score. We played Samford and UAB in the fall and know they are two very good teams. It will be good to see how much we've progressed since the fall."

South Alabama competed in the Samford Fall Invitational in early October against its next two opponents and Middle Tennessee. The Jags compiled a 10-1 doubles record that weekend but went 11-12 in singles action, including a 6-2 mark vs. UAB and a 2-6 record against Samford.

The Bulldogs are currently 7-1 and on a five-match winning streak. The lone defeat came to Auburn, ranked No. 20 in the most recent Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings. Samford has dominated doubles this spring with a 19-3 combined record, going 14-2 at Nos. 2 and 3.

In singles, Samford is 3-4 at the top spot but has at least six wins at the other five flights, with Yasmeen Ebada holding a 7-0 record at No. 3.

"They're having a great season," Keyser said. I feel like they're the exact same team as us; both teams are on an upward swing and it will be interesting to see how things play out."

The Blazers carry a 4-7 record into Saturday's match and have lost three straight. Two of their losses this year have come to ranked opponents: a 4-1 decision at No. 24 Florida State and a 7-0 loss at No. 75 Mississippi State.

"We played them in the fall and they have some good players," said Keyser. "I haven't looked at their results but last year we squeaked one out 4-3 and they got us in a few spots in the fall. This match will be very important for us."

In addition to the Jags' eight-match win streak as a team, two individuals have emerged unscathed thus far: freshmen Laura Valkova (Piestany, Slovakia) and Monica Mitta (Fairhope, Ala.). Mitta's eight wins have come at flights 3 and 4 while Valkova is unbeaten at the top three slots in the lineup. Valkova was named the Sun Belt Conference's Player of the Week after victories at Central Florida and Bethune-Cookman.

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

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