Feb. 28, 2008

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - - The University of Memphis women's tennis team (4-4) will put its two-match win streak on the line the weekend by hosting a pair of non-conference matches, beginning with another visit by Ball State (4-3), Friday, at 2 p.m. Ball State was one of the teams that competed in the Lady Tiger Fall Invitational to end the fall schedule.

Memphis is coming off the heels of a 4-1 win at Southern and a 4-2 win at Murray State. In all, Memphis has won three of its last four matches to even its overall mark at .500.

Sophomore Ashley Murdock continues to carry momentum with her into matches, having won eight straight matches, including three straight at the No. 1 singles spot. Teammate Amanda Brown has also started a win streak of her own at No. 2 singles, winning her last match in straight sets.

Marjorie Ondeck and Ekin Zafir both bring two-match winning streaks in to Friday's match. Ondeck improved to 5-2 at No. 3 singles with a 6-0, 6-2 win at Murray State, while Zafir did not get the opportunity to finish her Murray State match, in which she had split sets before the match was decided.

Kristin Chamberlain also has a one-match winning streak, clinching the victory at Murray State with her win at No. 6 singles.

Ball State is 4-3 so far this season, and is playing just their second match of the year away from Muncie. Sophie Quist leads the team with a 3-3 mark at No. 1 singles. Both Haly Calderwood and Jennifer Pollack have played matches at No. 2 singles so far this season for Ball State, with Calderwood sporting a 1-3 record, while Pollack is 1-2. Pollack is 3-1 at No. 3 singles, while Calderwood is 1-1 at the No. 3 slot. Emma Retter has played a majority of the matches at No. 4, carrying a 3-2 mark, while both Hayley Hall and Georgina Thomson had two wins at the No. 5 spot. Thomson also has three losses at No. 5. Katherine Rist and Thomson have shared time at the No. 6 slot. Rist has played five matches there, with a 2-3 mark, while Thomson is 2-0 at the sixth slot.

The top doubles slot for Ball State is occupied by Calderwood and Pollack, who are 4-3 so far this year. Two different teams have played at the No. 2 spot and three different teams have played at No. 3, with the team combining for a 4-3 record at both the No. 2 and 3 doubles spots so far this season.

Tennessee Tech will be the Lady Tigers' opponents on Saturday, at 4 p.m. The Golden Eagles are 2-5 so far this season and have picked up both wins in their last three matches. The Memphis match will be their ninth straight match they have played away from Cookeville, as part of a 12-match road schedule to open their season.

Both matches will be played at WellWorx, located at 6161 Shelby Oaks Drive.