CLARKSVILLE – After earning a quartet of victories during its nonconference season, Austin Peay State University women's tennis team begins its second-straight title defense when it kicks off Ohio Valley Conference action against Belmont in an 11 a.m., Saturday match at the Belmont Tennis Complex in Nashville.
Saturday's match is the first OVC contest since the Governors won their second-straight OVC Championship in a 4-3 victory against Southeast Missouri, April 25, 2021.
After a slow start to their 2022 campaign, the Govs (4-5) have won four-straight matches since March 4 and were the only unbeaten team in the OVC during the month of March.
Five Govs – Yu-Hua Cheng, Danielle Morris, Martina Paladini-Jennings, Aleks Topalovic, Denise Torrealba – have combined for a 16-0 singles record in the Govs' winning streak. Torrealba currently has a team-best five-match singles winning streak dating back to a Feb. 20 match against Kentucky.
Torrealba and senior Honoka Nakanishi headline APSU's doubles teams with four-straight wins, including three straight from the No. 1 position. They are tied with Paladini-Jennings and Cheng – who have played exclusively from the No. 3 position – for a team-best five doubles wins.
Austin Peay has won three of its last four conference openers and has defeated Belmont in nine of the last 10 meetings against their Volunteer State rival.
Belmont (8-5) opened OVC play with a 7-0 victory against Tennessee State, March 25, and hosts Murray State, Friday.
The Bruins return four players from their 2021 team that finished sixth in the OVC last season including senior Somer Henry, a First Team All-OVC selection last spring, and Peyton Lee, who leads BU with eight singles wins.
Henry and Lee highlight Belmont's doubles pairings with a team-best 7-2 record on No. 2 and No. 3 lines.
Saturday's match is the final time the Governors and Bruins will meet in the regular season as conference opponents, with Austin Peay departing for the ASUN Conference and Belmont joining the Missouri Valley, both effective July 1.
Despite the Govs winning nine of the last 10, Belmont leads the all-time series, 14-12; however, APSU is 7-1 against the Bruins since Belmont joined the OVC prior to the 2012-13 season.
Up Next
Austin Peay returns home for its conference home opener against SIUE at 1 p.m., April 8, at the Governors Tennis Courts. The Govs then host Eastern Illinois the following day at 10 a.m.
Scouting the Bruins
2022 Record: 8-5 (1-0 OVC)
2021 Record: 5-9 (2-5 OVC)
2021 Season Result: After finishing sixth in the OVC in 2021, the Bruins missed the OVC Championship and had their season come to an following a 4-3 loss against Jacksonville State, March 18.
Returners/Newcomers: 4/5
All-Time Series (Since 1995): 14-12 Belmont
Last Meeting: After dropping the doubles point and the first singles match, the Governors battled back to claim victories from their top four singles positions, claiming the 4-3 victory against the Bruins.
Follow the Govs on Social
For news and updates ahead of the Governors' match against SIUE, follow the women's tennis team on Twitter (@GovsWTN), Instagram (@GovsTennis) and Facebook (Austin Peay Tennis).
