CLARKSVILLE – For the first time in 706 days, Austin Peay State University women's tennis is set to play an Ohio Valley Conference match when it hosts Jacksonville State at 10 a.m., Friday, at the Governors Tennis Courts.
Austin Peay hasn't played a regular-season conference match since April 20, 2019, when the Governors beat Belmont, 6-1, to close a perfect 22-0 (8-0) regular season. The Govs have won eight-straight regular-season OVC matches and haven't lost a conference match since they fell to Eastern Kentucky, 6-1, in the final regular-season match of the 2018 season – 1,078 days ago.
The Govs wrapped up conference play this season with three-straight wins and posted a 5-1 mark in non-conference action. Fabienne Schmidt led the Governors with five singles wins from the No. 1 position in non-conference play. Schmidt also partnered with Danielle Morris to post a perfect 6-0 mark in the No. 1 doubles position to start the season. Morris also has a trio of singles wins on the No. 2 line.
Jana Leder and Aleks Topalovic each have four singles wins for the Govs this season with Leder manning the No. 3 position and Topalovic playing in the No. 5 position. Leder and Topalovic have also combined to form the Austin Peay's No. 2 doubles team, where they have three wins this season.
Martina Paladini-Jennings has occupied the No. 4 singles position for the Governors each time out and has picked up three wins this spring. Ana Albertson and Honoka Nakanishi have shared the No. 6 singles position and Nakanishi has posted a perfect 3-0 mark in singles play  this spring. Albertson and Nakanishi have partnered to pick up a trio of doubles wins and Paladini-Jennings has partnered with Leder to go 1-0 in doubles play this season.
The Opposition
Jacksonville State (7-6)
At 7-6 this season, Jacksonville State has taken the court seven more times than Austin Peay. The Gamecocks went 5-6 in non-conference action before picking up wins against Eastern Illinois, 7-0, and SIUE, 5-2, in the opening weekend of OVC play.
Jacksonville State freshman Dariana Prato is the reigning OVC Player of the Week after picking up a pair of singles wins in the No. 4 position last week. Junior Harriet Hamilton leads the Gamecocks with 11 wins in both singles and doubles play this season.
In the last meeting between Austin Peay and Jacksonville State, the Govs beat the Gamecocks, 7-0, on March 29, 2019, at the JSU Tennis Courts in Jacksonville, Alabama.
Up Next
Austin Peay will hit the road for a 1 p.m., April 2 match at Southeast Missouri and a noon., April 3 match at UT Martin. The Govs will be back at home when they host a 10 a.m., April 9 match against Eastern Illinois at the Governors Tennis Courts.
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).
