The BG women's tennis team returns home to the Perrysburg Tennis Center on Sunday for a matchup with the University of Illinois at Chicago. Both teams have had early season success in dual match play with BG being 6-2 and UIC being 5-2.
Last weekend, coach Penny Dean and the Falcons had their six-game winning streak snapped at the hands of Michigan State and will look to get back on track against the Flames.
Despite the loss last week to Michigan State, a few players had very successful weekends, and seasons to this point.
Junior Christine Chiricosta continued her strong play going 2-0 last weekend, and is 7-1 in singles action this season.
"Christine's biggest asset is her mental toughness," Dean said. "She believes in herself and her game. She makes the opponent play a ton of balls to win every point."
Chiricosta has won four straight singles matches and BG has not lost at home this season.
Senior co-captains Katia Babina and Samantha Kintzel each have posted 5-3 records in singles action. Babina has won five of her last six matches, while Kintzel has won four of her last five.
UIC has won 13 consecutive league titles and has never lost a Horizon League match.
"UIC is a very tough opponent coming up," Dean said. "We need to continue to work on our mental game and our foot speed."
UIC sophomore Mariva Kovaleva was named the Horizon League Player of the Year last season while Ilinca Cristescu and Kristen McPhillps joined Kovaleva on the all-conference first team.
The Falcons lead UIC 10-6 in the all-time series, and the teams have played each other each of the last 13 seasons. Previously BG had beaten UIC for five straight years until their last meeting. The Flames defeated the Falcons 5-2 last year.
After their match with UIC, BG will travel to Cleveland State on Friday, Feb. 26. The next home game for the Falcons will not be until March 19, against Duquesne.
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