CONWAY, Ark. – UCA tennis (2-2) will get the chance to return to the court as they head to Alabama to face the University of Alabama-Birmingham (1-3) and Samford (2-2) in Birmingham this weekend.
The Bears have the opportunity to continue to improve themselves in the non-conference schedule as they head south to battle the Dragons of UAB on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. and the Bulldogs of Samford Sunday at noon.
UCA is back and ready to make its mark after being taken out of the groove due to postponements. With the Dragons and Bulldogs on the horizon, the opportunity to continue their winning streak to multiple numbers is there. To begin this two-match weekend set, the Bears will battle UAB in only their second match ever. UCA is currently 1-0 all-time against the Dragons, but if they want to be successful, they will have to rely on the success of their veteran players. Two players in particular to watch are sophomore Jaeun Lee and junior Fuka Nonoyama. Lee is currently 3-1 on the season, and Nonoyama is 2-2 overall as well. Both players have dabbled at different spots during the year but expect Nonoyama to thrive at the No. 2 spot and Lee in the No. 3 spot.
The second match plays a little differently as these two teams have met up earlier in the year. When the Bears battled in the Samford Fall Invite, they played the Bulldogs in a full team dual and dropped the overall match 7-2. While the result was not what they wanted, it is another chance to prove their potential by overcoming the first-time result. Three big players in this result will be senior Yada Vasupongchai, sophomore Maja Gledic and freshman Sumomo Hamanaga. All three of these competitors went into three sets with their Bulldog counterparts and can potentially flip the switch in the upcoming matchup. The opportunity and the potential to take two matches in Birmingham are possible for the Bears as they ride closer to the conference schedule.
All the action starts this weekend as they hope for an opportunity to grow their win percentage.
