University Of New Orleans – Women’s Tennis Looks to Keep Unbeaten Streak Going vs. Troy

NEW ORLEANS – The New Orleans Privateers women’s tennis team (6-0) will hit the court for a bout against former Sun Belt foe, Troy on Sunday at the University Tennis Center. The match was pushed back two hours from its original start time and will begin at 12 p.m.
 

The Privateers are looking to match the 2003 squad which also got off to a 7-0 start. New Orleans had a four-win weekend from Feb. 9-10 after collecting triumphs over Loyola, Xavier, Prairie View A&M, and Louisiana Tech. Two of those matches (Loyola, Prairie View A&M) were decided in 7-0 sweeps.
 
Trang Dao won her second Southland Conference Player of the Week award. The senior went 6-1 on the weekend and earned some critical match points. None was bigger than her victory over Xavier’s Mariia Borodii, who was the fourth ranked singles player in the nation in NAIA Division I. That vaulted the Privateers to a 4-3 victory over the Gold Nuggets.
 
Dao is one of two singles players who remains undefeated with at least five victories. While she has gone 5-0 between flight one and two this spring, Mar Gendra has been a solid force in the middle of the rotation. The sophomore out of Spain has gone 6-0 between flights three, four, and five.
 
Salma Abdelrahim and Brittany Johnson have formed a strong pairing in doubles as well. The duo has pushed their season mark to 4-0. All of their wins have come at flight two. Overall, the Privateers have gone 14-2 in doubles decisions this season with their only two losses coming to Xavier.
 
The Privateers are 3-5 since 1996 against the Trojans. New Orleans won the last meeting 4-3 between the two sides on Mar. 5, 2017. Claudette Gilhespie earned the match clinching point for the Privateers that day with a 4-6, 7-6, 7-6 victory at flight four.
 

Troy (2-3) will begin a Southland filled weekend. The Trojans will also stop in Thibodaux to play Nicholls on Monday, Feb. 25. The Trojans have wins over Alabama A&M and Alabama State. Their losses have come to Chattanooga, Mercer, and Southern Miss. Maria Casas Blas, Pei Ju Hsieh, and Matea Mihaljevic all have 3-1 records in singles this spring.
 
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