Saturday, April 20
Martin, Tenn.
2 P.M.
UT Martin
vs
SIUE
Photo by: UT Martin University Relations
UT MARTIN TENNIS LOOKS TO CLINCH OVC TOURNAMENT SPOT AT HOME THIS WEEKEND; SENIOR DAY SET FOR SATURDAY
4/17/2019 5:29:00 PM | Tennis
MARTIN, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Martin tennis team faces a crucial two-match homestand this weekend, as the Skyhawks wrap up the regular season against Ohio Valley Conference rivals SIUE on Saturday, April 20 and Eastern Illinois on Sunday, April 21. Saturday's match will begin at 2 p.m. while Sunday's match will begin at 3 p.m. The Eastern Illinois match was originally scheduled for Friday but was moved because of weather concerns.
UT Martin enters the weekend with a 1-5 OVC record but is just one game out of the projected OVC Tournament picture. The Skyhawks would likely punch its ticket to the postseason with a pair of wins over current sixth place Eastern Illinois (2-4 OVC) and seventh place SIUE (1-5).
A Senior Day ceremony will take place at approximately 1:45 p.m. on Saturday, as the four UT Martin seniors (Olha Burak, Asel Jumamukhambetova, Andrea Plantada and Jemima Potter) will be honored for their career contributions. That group has combined for 352 victories and a .657 winning percentage in OVC play while also tallying eight OVC Commissioner's Honor Roll mentions in their 15 combined seasons for head coach Dennis Taylor.
Hailing from Lviv, Ukraine is Burak, who has posted 25 victories in her three years as a Skyhawk. After transferring in from the University of Central Oklahoma, she recorded a combined 12-4 record in 2016. She also provided 11 wins as a junior before notching a pair of doubles victories this season. She was named to the OVC Commissioner's Honor Roll for the 2016-17 campaign.
Jumamukhambetova enters the weekend ranking ninth all-time with 67 singles victories over her four-year career. She was named to the All-OVC second team in 2016-17 and has been identified as a Preseason All-OVC honoree in each of the past two seasons. She boasts 122 career wins and leads the OVC this season with five victories at No. 1 singles in league play. The Atyrau, Kazakhstan native also earned a spot on the OVC Commissioner's Honor Roll in 2017-18.
Plantada has served as a true inspiration since returning last spring after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. A four-year member from Puzol, Spain, she comes into the weekend with 96 career wins while combining to win 74.5 percent of her OVC decisions. That includes a perfect 16-0 record in league play during her sophomore campaign. She has earned two OVC Medals of Honor for a perfect 4.0 Grade Point Average and has been named to the OVC Commissioner's Honor Roll in all three seasons.
A Northampton, England native, Potter enters the weekend ranking eighth in school history with 72 doubles wins while she also is responsible for 109 combined victories over her four-year career. She came away with a career-best 39 victories during the 2015-16 season alone while she accounts for a .685 winning percentage against OVC competition for her career. Additionally, she is a three-time OVC Commissioner's Honor Roll recipient.
SIUE comes into the weekend with a 6-12 overall mark as senior Alina Munteanu leads the way with 14 singles victories. The No. 2 team of Callaghan Adams and Maria Thibault have dialed up a team-high nine doubles wins while Lara Tupper ranks second on the team in both singles victories (13) and doubles wins (eight).
Eastern Illinois is 11-9 overall on the season and is paced by sophomore Rachel Papavasilopoulos, who was voted as the fifth-best returning player in the OVC this season. She has been crowned as the OVC Player of the Week twice this season (Feb. 20, March 13) and owns 49 combined wins on the season, including a 26-5 singles mark. Her teammate Srishti Slaria also secured the OVC's top weekly honor on April 3 and has tallied 39 victories in 2018-19.
UT Martin enters the weekend with a 1-5 OVC record but is just one game out of the projected OVC Tournament picture. The Skyhawks would likely punch its ticket to the postseason with a pair of wins over current sixth place Eastern Illinois (2-4 OVC) and seventh place SIUE (1-5).
A Senior Day ceremony will take place at approximately 1:45 p.m. on Saturday, as the four UT Martin seniors (Olha Burak, Asel Jumamukhambetova, Andrea Plantada and Jemima Potter) will be honored for their career contributions. That group has combined for 352 victories and a .657 winning percentage in OVC play while also tallying eight OVC Commissioner's Honor Roll mentions in their 15 combined seasons for head coach Dennis Taylor.
Hailing from Lviv, Ukraine is Burak, who has posted 25 victories in her three years as a Skyhawk. After transferring in from the University of Central Oklahoma, she recorded a combined 12-4 record in 2016. She also provided 11 wins as a junior before notching a pair of doubles victories this season. She was named to the OVC Commissioner's Honor Roll for the 2016-17 campaign.
Jumamukhambetova enters the weekend ranking ninth all-time with 67 singles victories over her four-year career. She was named to the All-OVC second team in 2016-17 and has been identified as a Preseason All-OVC honoree in each of the past two seasons. She boasts 122 career wins and leads the OVC this season with five victories at No. 1 singles in league play. The Atyrau, Kazakhstan native also earned a spot on the OVC Commissioner's Honor Roll in 2017-18.
Plantada has served as a true inspiration since returning last spring after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. A four-year member from Puzol, Spain, she comes into the weekend with 96 career wins while combining to win 74.5 percent of her OVC decisions. That includes a perfect 16-0 record in league play during her sophomore campaign. She has earned two OVC Medals of Honor for a perfect 4.0 Grade Point Average and has been named to the OVC Commissioner's Honor Roll in all three seasons.
A Northampton, England native, Potter enters the weekend ranking eighth in school history with 72 doubles wins while she also is responsible for 109 combined victories over her four-year career. She came away with a career-best 39 victories during the 2015-16 season alone while she accounts for a .685 winning percentage against OVC competition for her career. Additionally, she is a three-time OVC Commissioner's Honor Roll recipient.
SIUE comes into the weekend with a 6-12 overall mark as senior Alina Munteanu leads the way with 14 singles victories. The No. 2 team of Callaghan Adams and Maria Thibault have dialed up a team-high nine doubles wins while Lara Tupper ranks second on the team in both singles victories (13) and doubles wins (eight).
Eastern Illinois is 11-9 overall on the season and is paced by sophomore Rachel Papavasilopoulos, who was voted as the fifth-best returning player in the OVC this season. She has been crowned as the OVC Player of the Week twice this season (Feb. 20, March 13) and owns 49 combined wins on the season, including a 26-5 singles mark. Her teammate Srishti Slaria also secured the OVC's top weekly honor on April 3 and has tallied 39 victories in 2018-19.
Players Mentioned
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