Matchday: Pirates Close Season With Two Home Matches

Match 23: Cincinnati (10-9) at ECU (20-2)
Date	Friday, April 12
Time	2 p.m. (EST)
Location	Greenville, N.C. (River Birch Tennis Complex)
Social Media	Twitter: @ecuwtennis Instagram: @ecuwtennis Facebook: ECU Pirates Women's Tennis

Match 24: Connecticut (5-10) at ECU (20-2)
Date	Saturday, April 13
Time	12:30 p.m. (EST)
Location	Greenville, N.C. (River Birch Tennis Complex)
Social Media	Twitter: @ecuwtennis Instagram: @ecuwtennis Facebook: ECU Pirates Women's Tennis

GREENVILLE, N.C. – Just two matches remain in the regular season and the ECU women's tennis team will play both of them at River Birch Tennis Complex. The Pirates will host Cincinnati on Friday afternoon before closing the season against Connecticut on Saturday.

ECU (20-2) has already made history, both by cracking the 20 win barrier and by winning those 20 matches all in a row. The 20 wins are the most in program history while the 20 wins in a row are the most by any ECU squad. The Pirates are also 3-0 this season against AAC opponents, beating Tulane and Temple on the road as well as topping Memphis on a neutral court.

Saturday's match will be the final home match for seniors Celia Ruiz and Annija Veinsteina. Ruiz is one of the most decorated athletes in ECU history as she is already a three-time All-AAC selection as well as the co-AAC player of the Year in 2017. The Pontevedra, Spain native made history when she became the first Pirate player to be ranked in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's (ITA) singles poll. She is 17-3 in her final campaign and has won 15 straight matches. Veinsteina is just 4-6 this season, but has won all three of her matches during dual matches. The Riga, Latvia product has been a consistent teammate on the doubles court, going 39-25 with a variety of partners during her four seasons.

Alisa Diercksen leads the team with a 22-8 singles record while Nastja Rettich has a 21-6 mark of her own. Lisa Hofbauer is 15-11 and has gone 12-3 on the top court while Martina Paladini-Jennings (17-6) and Minette Van Vreden (15-11) have both been standouts in their rookie campaigns. Hsia Ho Chiao is the seventh Pirate with at least 10 wins this season, owning an 11-7 ledger. Combined, ECU has gone 92-22 (.807) during dual matches this season and an incredible 92-10 (.902) since dropping all of the singles points during the opening two matches of the season.

Cincinnati (10-9) is coming off two straight 4-3 losses, the most recent a setback at crosstown rival Xavier. Friday's matchup will be the third conference match of the season for the Bearcats, who lost 4-2 at Wichita State and 4-1 at Memphis. Maria Santilli leads Cincinnati with a 21-5 singles record and is an impressive 13-3 in dual matches. The Bearcats are 7-9 (.438) on court one, but are a combined 52-29 (.642) on the remaining five courts. In doubles, the pairing of Alexia Coutino and Antonella Bramato lead the squad with a 19-11 mark and are 11-6 on court one. ECU won a tight 4-3 match against Cincinnati last season, needing three-set victory by Ruiz to clinch the win.

Connecticut (5-10) topped Bryant 7-0 the last time out to snap a two-match losing streak. The Huskies will be playing their fourth match against an American Conference foe, having beat Temple 4-3 at home, but dropping 7-0 decisions at both Memphis and Houston. In singles, Connecticut has a winning percentage above .500 on just court three, where the huskies are a combined 8-7. Julieanne Bou leads the team with a 16-10 record, splitting her time between courts two and three. In doubles, Bou and Gillian Perrotta are the top doubles tandem, going 16-9 so far and 7-3 on the top court. Last season, ECU traveled to Storrs and beat UConn 4-2, with Ruiz, Hofbauer, Veinsteina and Hsia Ho Chiao getting wins.

First serve for Friday's match against Cincinnati is scheduled for 2 p.m., while Saturday's contest against Connecticut will get underway at 12:30 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

Alisa Diercksen

Lisa Hofbauer

Martina Paladini-Jennings

Nastja Rettich

Celia Ruiz

Minette Van Vreden

Annija Veinsteina

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