ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – All the tireless hours of practice on the court come to full fruition on Saturday as the Eckerd College women's tennis program opens a new spring campaign against No. 4 Barry University this weekend.
The Tritons (0-0, 0-0 SSC) had a cameo appearance during the short fall season, competing in USTA/ITA South Regional Championships and the Panther Invitational hosted by Florida Tech.
A young Eckerd squad with six freshmen on the roster received valuable seasoning in the two events and the pairing of
Taylor Bullock and
Carson Trapp picked up two wins at the Panther Invitational in doubles play.
The Buccaneers (1-0, 0-0 SSC) come in with a No. 4 national ranking and No. 2 in the South Region only behind Lynn University. Prior to facing the Tritons, Barry will face Saint Leo University earlier in the day for a 9 p.m. dual.
Barry boasts three individuals in the ITA Top-25 individual rankings including Mona Mansour (No. 8), Cristina Valladares (No. 21) and Caroline Wendling (No. 24). The pairing of Valladares and Wendling rates No. 26 as a doubles opponent.
Freshman
Gipson Hawn faced off against Mansour while fellow rookie
Erika Fridrik met Valladares in fall matchups.
With Head Coach Erin Koenig primed to go maternity leave, former standout and current assistant coach
Ben Maxwell will take over in an interim role.
“I think we're getting antsy and ready to play against different opponents,” Koenig said. “We're looking forward to the competition and it's going to be a true test of where we need to improve on. A number of freshmen will again be making their debut against top-notch talent on the Division II level.”
The Tritons' men's program will open their spring season against Barry's men on Sunday at 10 a.m., currently ranked No. 2 nationally and No. 2 in the South Region.
