CLARKSVILLE – After 13 days off, Austin Peay State University women's tennis will be back in action when it hosts Western Kentucky for its non-conference finale at 1:30 p.m., Friday at the Governors Tennis Courts.
The Governors last took the court on March 6 at North Alabama and beat the Lions, 4-1. In the week following the North Alabama match, senior Fabienne Schmidt was named the Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Week after going 2-0 in both the No. 1 singles and doubles position.
Schmidt leads the Govs with a 4-1 mark in singles play this season, while playing exclusively on the No. 1 line. In doubles play, Schmidt has partnered with Danielle Morris and the duo is a perfect 5-0 to start the season. Morris has been the Govs No. 2 in singles action this season, where she has picked up a trio of wins.
Jana Leder and Aleks Topalovic have manned the No. 3 and No. 5 singles positions, respectively, for Austin Peay this season and both have picked up three singles wins so far this season. In doubles play, Leder and Topalovic have paired up to win a pair of matches in the No. 2 position, Leder also has another doubles win playing with Martina Paladini-Jennings.
Paladini-Jennings has played on the No. 4 singles line this season, where she has a pair of wins. The No. 6 singles position has been filled by both Ana Albertson and Honoka Nakanishi this season. Nakanishi is on a two-match winning streak and has yet to lose in singles play this season. In doubles action, Albertson and Nakanishi have partnered to pick up a trio of wins on the No. 3 line.
The Opposition
Western Kentucky (2-8)
With 10 matches play this season, Western Kentucky has taken the court five more times than the Governors this season. The Hilltoppers picked up their first win of the season when they beat Bellarmine, 7-0, and then they beat Southern Miss., 5-2, in their second C-USA match. Last time out, Western Kentucky went on the road and dropped a match to Murray State, 4-3.
In last season's match, the Governors picked up a 5-2 win over the Hilltoppers. After sweeping the three doubles matches at the Governors Tennis Center, Schmidt, Morris, Leder, and Paladini-Jennings all picked up singles wins to secure the win for the Govs.
Up Next
Austin Peay will kick off OVC play when it hosts Jacksonville State for a 10 a.m., March 26 match at the Governors Tennis Courts. The Govs will then hit the road for a 1 p.m., April 2 match at Southeast Missouri and a Saturday, April 3 match at UT Martin.
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).
