COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS – Following a 1-1 start, the No. 73 University of South Alabama women's tennis team heads to the Mitchell Tennis Center this weekend where they will take on No. 10 Texas A&M on Saturday at noon; the Jaguars will also face either No. 61 Minnesota or No. 37 Wichita State on Sunday.
"I'm excited," said USA head coach Jaco Keyser. "Last week was a great experience. We competed well, the effort was great, and this is the kind of competition that's going to make us better in the long run."
South Alabama opened its spring season last weekend against No. 28 South Carolina followed by Furman. The Jaguars defeated Furman 4-3 after losing 6-1 to the 28th-ranked Gamecocks.
"You have to contest every point because that's what the better teams do," said Keyser. "They don't give you any breathing room, and any little let down leads to potential leads being stretched or comebacks being made."
Junior Laura Valkova, who is ranked 86th nationally, was undefeated in singles last weekend, with victories over Caroline Dailey of South Carolina and Katarina Weymouth of Furman.
"She had a good weekend," Keyser said. "She's been having great practices. Usually when she practices well, she plays good matches."
The Jaguars kick off the event against No. 10 Texas A&M, led by juniors No. 53 Saska Gavrilovska and No. 58 Rachel Pierson. The Aggies went 17-6 last spring, including victories over seven team in the top 25, and made it to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament before losing 4-1 to No. 7 UCLA. This marks the first time the two teams will play one another.
The Jags will then play either the Shockers or Golden Gophers, with the winners of the two matches facing off and the losers playing a consolation match. The Jaguars have not faced UM -- which opened its season with 7-0 victories against Northern Illinois and North Dakota -- since defeating the Gophers 6-1 in Louisville, Ky., in 2006. WSU is led by No. 71 Gabriela Porubin and has opened its season with a 3-0 record, including a 5-2 victory over No. 35 Oklahoma; USA defeated the Shockers 4-2 in the last meeting between the two schools in 2008.
"Every team this tournament is good," said Keyser, "but our mindset is to not worry about who we play against. We are just trying to control what we can control and execute our game plan, and from there we will make adjustments within matches."
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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