COLLEGE PARK, Md. – The No. 42 Maryland women's tennis team will look to match its best start in program history on Saturday when the Terps host Penn.
Maryland is 5-0 on the season, and the Terps No. 42 ranking is the fourth highest in program history.
LAST TIME OUT
The Terps opened up conference play last weekend and picked up a 5-2 win at Purdue. For the fourth consecutive match, Maryland picked up the crucial doubles point to open the match.
Purdue was able to cut into the Terps' lead at the beginning of singles play, but Maryland's seniors stepped up to close out the match. Alexandra Stanova took home a win at first singles and fellow senior Kristina Hovsepyan clinched the win for the Terps at fifth singles. Ekaterina Tour and Cassandre Thebault also won for Maryland.
SCOUTING THE QUAKERS
Penn comes into College Park with a 1-4 record on the season. The Quakers have faced two Top-25 opponents in Georgia Tech and Kentucky. They have also faced the University of Virginia, who recently cracked the ITA's Top 50. Penn's lone win this season came against Temple.
The Quakers' lineup features six letter winners from last year's team that posted an 11-9 record. Kana Daniel will be the player to watch throughout the match. The senior plays first doubles as well as first singles, and entered the spring season as the No. 3 singles player in the Northeast Region.
KEEPING UP WITH THE TERPS
After an extremely successful fall campaign, the Terps have not slowed down at all, starting the spring season with a 5-0 record. Maryland earned the No. 42 spot in the ITA's first extension of its national rankings, which is the fourth-highest in program history.
Maryland has benefited from the strong play of its doubles teams this season, as the Terps have earned the doubles point in four-of-five matches this season.
The Terps' fall campaign featured five doubles championships, including one by seniors Alexandra Stanova and Kristina Hovsepyan, who won the ITA Atlantic Regionals and advanced to ITA National Indoors in New York City.
Sophomore Caroline Williams was a part of three of those doubles championships, teaming up with fellow sophomore Arnelle Sullivan to win the Bedford Cup, and then with junior Ekaterina Tour to win the Cissie Leary Invitational and the Kitty Harrison Invitational.
Maryland also had contributions from its two freshmen, Saya Usui and Katsiaryna Yemelyanenka. The two won their first collegiate doubles tournament when they took first place at the Tribe Invitational.
Maryland will come into the spring season featuring its first preseason-ranked singles player in five years. Junior Ekaterina Tour cracked the ITA Preseason Singles ranking, the first Terp to do so since Cristina Stancu in 2012. Tour was also ranked the No. 14 singles player in the Atlantic Region.
Teammates Alexandra Stanova and Kristina Hovsepyan were tabbed the No. 1 doubles duo in the Atlantic Region, and Stanova was named the No. 20 singles player in the Atlantic Region.
Be sure to keep up with the Terps on Twitter throughout the season.
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