Pirates Close Fall Slate At UNCW Invitational

GREENVILLE, N.C. – Just one event remains on the fall schedule as the East Carolina women's tennis team heads to the UNCW Invitational starting on Friday morning.

"It's the final event of the season and we are hoping to finish on a positive note," said head coach Kirstin Burgess. "This will be the first event as a Pirate for Laura Becker so I am excited for her! We will play a lot of these same teams in the spring so it will be a great opportunity for us to get an idea of what we need to do to prepare for the dual match season."

All six Pirates will play in Wilmington this weekend, including Laura Becker who will be playing in the Purple and Gold for the first time. Becker arrived in Greenville after playing for Siena during the 2018-19 season. The Advance, N.C., native went 9-5 in singles play and 2-2 in doubles matches during her time as a Saint and was a four-time All-State selection during her prep career.

Martina Muzzolon leads the Pirates with a 4-3 singles record and is coming off reaching the Round of 16 of the main draw at the ITA Carolina Regional Championships. Ines Bachir is tied with Muzzolon for the team lead in victories, with a 4-4 ledger. Alisa Diercksen (2-5) and Anne Lou Champion (3-6) will try to continue their momentum after each winning one match at the regionals while Alisha Hussain (3-3) will be returning to the courts for the first time since the Elon Invitational in September.

In doubles play, Diercksen and Muzzolon will have the most experience together, having reached the Round of 16 at the Regional Championships. The pairing of Bachir and Champion lead the Pirates with a 4-4 doubles record, including also playing into the Round of 16 at the ITA Regionals. However, the Pirates will experiment with new duos as Hussain and Bachir will partner together while Becker and Champion will play as a tandem.

The Pirates will start play at 1 p.m., on Friday afternoon as they take on Campbell in singles play followed by meeting the host Seahawks at 4:30 p.m., in doubles action. The Pirates will battle Davidson and App State in doubles on Saturday morning, with the matches against Davidson scheduled for 9:15 a.m., and the App State matches starting at 10:15 a.m. Saturday's play will close with the Pirates taking on James Madison in singles at 3:30 p.m. East Carolina will close out the tournament at 11:30 a.m., on Sunday morning as they meet App State once again, this time in singles play.

2021 Seahawk Ocean Tennis Classic Schedule

Friday, Nov. 5, 2021
1 p.m. | East Carolina vs. Campbell (Singles)
4:30 p.m. | UNCW vs. East Carolina (Doubles)

Saturday, Nov. 6, 2021
9:15 a.m. | Davidson vs. East Carolina (Doubles)
10:15 a.m. | Appalachian State vs. East Carolina (Doubles)
3:30 p.m. | East Carolina vs. James Madison (Singles)

Sunday, Nov. 7, 2021
11:30 a.m. | Appalachian State vs. East Carolina (Singles)

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Ines Bachir

Laura Becker

Anne Lou Champion

Alisa Diercksen

Alisha Hussain

Martina Muzzolon

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