Troy University Athletics
Troy University
Marshall
Women’s Tennis Faces Off Against Marshall, App State
3/14/2024 12:22:00 PM | Tennis (W)
TROY, Ala. – The Troy women's tennis team heads east for a pair of Sun Belt Conference duals this week as they take on Marshall in Huntington, W.Va., at 9 a.m. on Friday, before heading to Boone, N.C. for a 9 a.m. contest against App State on Sunday.
Troy (7-4, 1-0 SBC) is coming off an impressive start to its conference slate after defeating No. 70 Georgia Southern 4-3 last Friday. It wasn't all smooth sailing as the Trojans – down 3-1 – won three consecutive singles matches to pull off the come-from-behind win over the Eagles. Valeriia Avdeeva clinched the win with a gutsy 6-7 (5-7), 6-0, 7-5 win.
After starting the spring season 4-0, the Trojans have gone just 3-4 in their last seven matches. For Troy to continue to build on its SBC success from last season — the most conference wins since 2009-10—they will need to perform better in doubles. Troy has started the last five matches down 1-0 when heading into singles. When winning the doubles point this season, Troy is 4-0.
In singles, the Trojans have impressed early this spring. As a team, they have put together a combined 41-25 record. Leading the charge has been Gabrielle Leslie and her perfect 11-0 record. Leslie's work has come primarily out of the No. 6 spot, where she is 9-0. She also has wins in the No. 4 and No. 5 spot.
Leena Metwally has also had a strong spring, posting an 8-2 record. Also with winning singles records are Avdeeva (6-5) and Maria Guirguis (6-5).
Scouting Marshall
The Thundering Herd enters Friday's contest at 9-6 (0-1 SBC) this spring. Marshall fell to Old Dominion 5-2 in its conference opener.
Johanna Strom is leading Marshall in singles with an 8-5 record, including a 7-5 mark in the No. 1 spot. As a team, the Thundering Herd are 40-37 in singles. In doubles, they are 19-15 and picked up the doubles point against Old Dominion.
This is just the second-ever matchup between the two programs. Troy is 1-0 all-time after defeating Marshall 4-2 last spring in Troy.
Scouting App State
The Mountaineers are off to a 6-5 (0-1 SBC) start this spring. App State dropped its conference opener 5-2 to James Madison last Saturday.
Savanna Dada-Mascoll is 6-1 in singles this season, with all seven matches coming in the No. 1 spot. Also putting together an impressive singles record so far is Maggie Pate at 8-3. Her wins have been scattered throughout the top four spots. Overall in singles, the Mountaineers are 29-30, including 2-4 in conference play.
Follow Along
Fans can follow the action through live stats for both matches and a stream broadcast for Friday's match against Marshall. All links are on TroyTrojans.com.
Players Mentioned
