CLARKSVILLE – After last week's lone match was postponed due to inclement weather, Austin Peay State University women's tennis will take the court for the first time in nearly four weeks when they travel to Knoxville for a 1 p.m. (CT), Saturday match against Carson-Newman at the Knoxville Racquet Club.
27 days ago the Governors opened the season with a 4-3 win against Central Arkansas indoor courts at Hadley Park in Nashville. Fabienne Schmidt led the Govs with a win in the No. 1 singles match and a win in the No. 1 doubles match while partnered with Danielle Morris.
Ana Albertson and Honoka Nakanishi also partnered up to win in the No. 3 doubles position and claim the doubles point for Austin Peay in the opener. Jana Leder and Aleks Topalovic came up short in the No. 2 doubles match against Central Arkansas.
In singles action Martina Paladini-Jennings and Aleks Topalovic picked up wins in the No. 4 and 5 positions, respectively, to help the Govs seal the win against the Sugar Bears. Morris and Leder dropped the No. 2 and 3 singles matches, respectively, and Albertson fell in the No. 6 singles bout.
Since Austin Peay's season opener against Central Arkansas, the Ohio Valley Conference released its 2021 Women's Tennis Preseason Poll and Top Ten Player Rankings. The Governors were once again picked to repeat as league champions, garnering eight of the nine available first-place votes.
Schmidt was named the OVC's No. 1 player in the Top Ten Player Rankings, while Morris was named the No. 5 player and Leder was named the No. 7 player in the conference.
Austin Peay's match scheduled for 12 p.m., Feb. 14 at Chattanooga was postponed due to inclement weather. The match against the Mocs is set to be rescheduled at a later date.
The Opposition
Carson-Newman (2-1)
All-time series: Austin Peay leads, 2-0
Austin Peay beat Carson-Newman, 6-1, on Feb. 13, 2020, at the Governors Tennis Center. In last season's match the Govs quickly took care of business in doubles play, winning all three matches to secure the doubles point.
In singles action the Govs won the first four matches off the court, starting with Leder and Topalovic winning in straight sets in the No. 2 and No. 4 positions, respectively. Paladini-Jennings then picked up the match-clinching point in the No. 3 singles match, before Leder and Heckel both won their matches to secure a 6-1 win for the Governors.
This season the Carson-Newman is off to a 2-1 start, with wins over Belmont Abbey and Tennessee Wesleyan after dropping their season opener to Union (Ky.).
Up Next
Austin Peay's four match road trip rolls on with an 11 a.m., Feb. 27 match at Middle Tennessee and a Saturday, March 6 match at North Alabama.
In the time of COVID-19, there is always a chance that a match will be postponed or not come to fruition. For news, scheduling changes, and match-time updates, be sure to check back at LetsGoPeay.com or follow the Governors women's tennis Twitter account (@AustinPeayWTN).
