Pirates Prepare For Trips To Campbell & No. 1 UNC

Match 5: ECU (2-2) at Campbell (5-1)
Date	Friday, February 14
Time	2 p.m. (EST)
Location	Buies Creek, N.C. (Nisbet Tennis Center)
Social Media	Twitter: @ECUWTennis Instagram: @ECUWTennis Facebook: ECU Pirates Women's Tennis

Match 5: ECU (2-2) at No. 1 North Carolina (10-0)
Date	Saturday, February 15
Time	11 a.m. (EST)
Location	Chapel Hill, N.C. (Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center)
Coverage	Watch Live/ Live Scoring
Social Media	Twitter: @ECUWTennis Instagram: @ECUWTennis Facebook: ECU Pirates Women's Tennis

GREENVILLE, N.C. – Playing its fifth and sixth straight matches on the road, the ECU women's tennis team will have a pair of stiff tests as the Pirates head to Campbell and North Carolina this weekend.

"We have a tough weekend ahead of us," said associate head coach Kirstin Burgess. "Campbell has been playing well to start the season and have had some good results, while Carolina is fresh off an Indoor National Championship. We will just have to head into this weekend continuing with the mindset of being willing to work and fight harder than our opponents."

ECU (2-2) is on a two-match winning streak, both of which came in dramatic fashion. ECU beat James Madison 4-3 when Hanna Axelsson won a third-set tiebreaker and then beat UNC Greensboro by the same score, with Michelle Ncube scoring the winning point in another third-set tiebreaker. Ncube (9-8), Nastja Rettich (9-8) and Sibel Tanik (9-9) are all tied for the team-lead in singles wins. Minette Van Vreden is the only Pirate above .500 in dual matches, going 2-1 on court six while Lisa Hofbauer is 2-2 on court one. In doubles, Hofbauer and Tanik have held down the top court, going 1-2 there and are 4-3 as a tandem. Ncube and Rettich have the most wins of any Pirate duo, racking up a 6-7 ledger overall and 1-1 on court two.

Campbell (5-1) has won three straight matches, the most recent a 4-3 victory over Coastal Carolina. That match came down to court six where Essence Martins got the clinching point. Lucille Pons is the top singles threat for the Camels, going 5-1 on court one this spring and 10-7 overall. In doubles, Castillo and Lea Cutura are the top tandem, going 3-2 on court one. ECU has won five straight matches against Campbell, including a 7-0 triumph a year ago. However, the Pirates are only 3-3 in Buies Creek in their last six trips.

UNC (10-0) is currently ranked No. 1 in the country and is coming off a dominant run through the ITA National Team Indoor Championship. The Tar Heels beat four top-15 teams and dropped just two points on the way to the title. Five different UNC players are ranked in the top-125 singles players, led by No. 4 Sara Daavettila (17-2). No. 7 Alexa Graham (19-4) and No. 9 Cameron Morra (16-3) are both ranked in the top-10 while Alle Sanford (14-8) is No. 36 and Makenna Jones (10-3) is No. 101. In doubles, Daavettila and Graham are ranked No. 6 and are 9-4 this season. Jones and Sanford are tabbed as the No. 29 team and are 9-3 together this season. Morra and Elizabeth Scotty are not yet ranked, but are 9-0 as a duo.

First serve against Campbell is slated for 2 p.m., on Friday afternoon at Nisbet Tennis Center while the match at North Carolina will start at 11 a.m., on Saturday morning at the Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center. Fans can watch the Pirates take on the Tar Heels here or follow the live scoring here.

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Players Mentioned

Hanna Axelsson

Lisa Hofbauer

Michelle Ncube

Nastja Rettich

Sibel Tanik

Minette Van Vreden

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