University of Houston Athletics
Cougar Tennis to Host UAB Sunday in Regular Season Finale
4/16/2010 12:00:00 AM | Tennis
April 16, 2010
HOUSTON - Looking to build momentum for the upcoming 2010 Conference USA Championships, the University of Houston tennis team will finish its regular season Sunday when it hosts C-USA rival UAB at 9:30 a.m. on the John E. Hoff Courts.
The match was originally scheduled for 11 a.m., but was moved up due to player safety concerns as well as to accommodate fans who wish to attend Sunday's baseball contest between Houston and Memphis, which is scheduled for a 1 p.m. first pitch Sunday.
"This is our biggest match of the year. There is a lot at stake for us," head coach John Severance said. "Since we will have played only two C-USA matches, having an even league record is big for us and could have a significant effect on our seeding at the tournament. What I want for us during this match is for our team to show what type of team we can be. We have yet to play up to our potential all season long."
Houston is 11-7 this season, a record that includes a 6-2 mark at home. The Blazers, meanwhile, enter the weekend with a 10-9 record this spring and will face Rice on Saturday before taking on the Cougars on Sunday morning.
Sunday's contest will be the final home contest for Houston's lone senior, Neila Starratt, who will cap off a solid four-year career for the Cougars. The Bedford, Nova Scota, native has notched more than 50 singles wins during her UH career in addition to earning ITA Academic Scholar honors each of her first three seasons. This fall, she was selected as the C-USA Player of the Month in November after claiming the singles championship in the Flight D bracket of the 2009 Alonti Cougar Fall Draw.
Junior Joanna Kacprzyk is heating up for the Cougars as the junior from Warsaw, Poland, has won four straight singles matches to improve her record this spring to 11-5. Kacprzyk has won eight of her last 10 matches and carries an 8-3 record at the No. 3 singles position.
Following Sunday's match the Cougars will hit the road to Tulsa, Okla., where they will compete in the C-USA Women's Tennis Championships on April 22-25.
Players Mentioned
