CLARKSVILLE - Austin Peay State University women's tennis team looks to continue its unbeaten season with a road battle against Jacksonville State, 12 p.m., Friday.
The Governors (13-0, 1-0 OVC) boast the reigning Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Week in Claudia Yanes Garcia, who won all four matches she played in against North Alabama and Tennessee State last week. Yanes Garcia is now on a four-match win streak in doubles with her sister Lidia and is a perfect 12-0 in singles matches this spring. She moved up to the No. 1 spot against Tennessee State and won in straight sets.
Yanes Garcia has not been the only Gov who has been rolling this spring. Four other Govs have won at least 10 singles matches without losing more than two: Lidia Yanes Garcia (12-1), Helena Kuppig (10-1), Tatiana Lopez (11-1), and Danielle Morris (10-2). In addition, Fabienne Schmidt is 4-1 since missing most of the season due to injury. On the doubles side of things, Lopez and Honoka Nakanishi are on fire as well. The duo is on a nine-match win streak and have only lost once this spring, playing the last three matches at the No. 1 spot.
As a team, the Govs rolled over both North Alabama and Tennessee State, winning both 7-0. They have now won nine matches via shutout and eight matches without dropping a set in doubles or singles.
Opponent Spotlight
The Gamecocks (9-2, 2-0 OVC) present the toughest challenge on paper this year for the Govs. The Gamecocks won six straight matches to begin the season, before dropping their only two matches to Mercer and North Alabama by a 4-3 scoreline. JSU promptly responded by winning their last three matches, all on the road, including a sweep of the Illinois schools (Eastern Illinois and SIUE) last weekend. The Gamecocks are 8-0 on the road this year, but only an unimpressive 1-2 at home.
The Govs and the Gamecocks have two common opponents this season in North Alabama and Kennesaw State. The Govs blanked Kennesaw State 4-0 and North Alabama 7-0, but the Gamecocks split the two matches (4-3 loss against North Alabama, 5-2 win over Kennesaw State). The matches to watch will involve JSU's Malin Buechner more than likely. Buechner and her partner Alba Conejero are 7-0 at the No. 1 doubles spot this season and she is 7-1 at the No. 3 singles position. Lopez and Nakanishi are set to do battle at the doubles spot and Lopez is scheduled to take on Buechner in singles.
The Govs are only 3-4 against the Gamecocks in the last seven meetings, including a narrow loss last season on the road. Despite winning the doubles point in that match, JSU won four of the six singles matches to take the match. Lidia Yanes Garcia is undefeated in singles matches against JSU opponents and won at No. 1 singles and No. 2 doubles last season.
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