MOBILE, Ala. – The No. 34 University of South Alabama women's tennis team will play Louisiana Tech, Virginia Commonwealth, and North Florida this week at the Bruce David Lubel Memorial Tennis Courts. 

The Jaguars are looking to bounce back from a 4-2 loss to Santa Clara after defeating No. 60 San Jose State and San Francisco on the road. They return home to take on Louisiana Tech Tuesday at 1 p.m., VCU Thursday at 1 p.m. and North Florida Sunday at 11 a.m.

"Hopefully these matches will have made us better prepared for the postseason," said USA head coach Jaco Keyser. "Playing Santa Clara pointed out a few things we need to work on, and hopefully this week, we can make those corrections."

Freshman Alexandria Stiteler (Bradenton, Fla.), ranked No. 52 by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, looks to extend her win streak of 10 straight singles matches, eight of which were in straight sets. 

"Stiteler has been playing well," Keyser said. "Hopefully she can continue doing that."

The Jags and the Bulldogs faced off last spring when South Alabama defeated Louisiana Tech 6-1 in Ruston, La. Senior Alexandra Starkova leads Louisiana Tech with a singles record of 7-2. The Bulldogs enter Tuesday's match with an overall record of 10-2 and 4-2 on the road. 

Thursday's match will be the first time since USA and VCU will have squared off since 2009 when the Jaguars beat the Rams 5-2 in Norfolk, Va. VCU has gone 4-7 on the season so far, with a road record of 2-1. The Rams are led by freshman Anna Rasmussen, who has gone 11-6 in singles this season.

On Saturday, South Alabama will face North Florida for the second straight year. Last spring, the Jaguars won 4-2 over the Ospreys in Jacksonville, Fla. UNF currently has a record of 4-3 overall and 2-2 on the road. Junior Noemi Hemmerich has a singles record of 4-3 to lead the Ospreys. 

"All of the matches are tough competition," said Keyser. "We need every single spot to be competitive if we're going to have success as a team. In order to win the conference, that's what we've got to do."

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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