Women's Tennis Closes Out Home Slate Over Weekend, Hosts Northern Iowa and Drake

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – On a three-match winning streak and 3-0 in Missouri Valley Conference action, the Belmont University women's tennis team wraps up the home portion of its 2023 campaign this weekend at the Beam Family Tennis Complex. The Bruins (6-10) host Northern Iowa Friday afternoon before welcoming Drake to the Music City Saturday morning for senior day.
 
Friday's match versus the Panthers is slated for a 1 p.m. first serve. Should there be additional rainfall overnight Thursday, the match could be pushed back to 3 p.m. Senior day Saturday will get underway at 10 a.m. with senior Taylor Trondson and graduate student Meredith Roberts being honored following the contest.
 
Live scoring will not be available for either match.
 
Last weekend, Belmont got past the University of Illinois Chicago 4-3 in Nashville as Roberts won the clinching match on court five, 6-2, 6-4. The Bruins also picked up singles wins from freshman sensation Mariia Hlahola in three sets on court one and sophomore Abi Solomon in dominant fashion on court two. In doubles play, Belmont earned victories at the top spot and at the third flight.
 
In the most recent Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) doubles rankings released this past Tuesday, the Ukrainian duo of Hlahola and sophomore Anastasiya Zholdakova moved up a spot to No. 70 in the nation. The tandem is 6-3 in dual matches this spring.
 
Friday will be only the second meeting between the Bruins and Northern Iowa with the Panthers edging Belmont 4-3 in the Music City in March of 2013. Saturday's matchup with the Bulldogs will be the first-ever outing involving the two teams.
 
Northern Iowa enters the weekend 5-12-1 on the season and 1-4 in Valley play. The Panthers, who were picked last in the conference's preseason poll, have lost five of their last six. Northern Iowa's lone win in league action came at home against Valparaiso last Saturday, 4-3.
 
Like the Bruins, Drake has won three in order and is right on Belmont's heels in the MVC standings with a 4-1 record in league play. The Bulldogs, who were picked fourth in the preseason predicted order of finish, are 11-7 overall and are coming off back-to-back 7-0 home sweeps of Missouri State and Valparaiso last weekend.
 
Up Next
The Bruins begin a three-match road stretch next Wednesday at Murray State before traveling to Illinois State and Bradley next weekend to finish the regular season.
 
Follow Belmont women's tennis on social media – @BelmontWTennis on Twitter and @belmontwtennis on Instagram – for complete coverage of the Bruins. Stay up to date with all of Belmont's athletic programs via the official app of the Belmont Bruins, available both in the Apple App Store and on Google Play.