Pirates Prep For Trip To VCU

Match 7: East Carolina (2-4) at No. 52 VCU (8-1)
The Game	February 24 \\ 3 p.m.
Venue	Richmond, Va. (Thalhimer Tennis Center)
2021-22 Statistics	East Carolina \| VCU
Social Media	Twitter \\\ Instagram

GREENVILLE, N.C. – Still looking for the first road win of the season, the East Carolina women's tennis team travels to VCU on Thursday.

"We had a tough weekend with tough conditions so the team is ready to get back on the courts against a very good VCU team," said head coach Kirstin Burgess. "They are on an eight-match winning streaking, so I'm hoping we can really play to our full potential and put that streak to an end."

East Carolina (2-4) dropped a pair of road matches last weekend, falling to Coastal Carolina 5-2 and UNCW 6-1. The Pirates are 2-0 at home, but 0-4 on the road, although two of those road losses came to North Carolina and North Carolina State, teams that are currently ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the nation. The Pirates will be buoyed by the return of Ines Bachir, who won both of her singles matches over the weekend and is tied for the team lead with six singles victories. Martina Muzzolon and Alisha Hussain both have six as well, and the pairing have played matches on courts one and two, respectively.

ECU has struggled in doubles play, winning the doubles point just once in six matches. The most successful tandem has been Anne Lou Champion and Isabella Rivera Ortiz, with the pairing going 3-2 on court three. Sofia Cerezo Holgado and Alisa Diercksen also have a victory together in dual matches while Bachir and Hussain paired together for a win on court one.

VCU (8-1) is off to a sterling start, winning eight straight matches since dropping a 5-2 contest at Furman to open the year. The Rams are ranked No. 52 in the country in the ITA Tennis rankings, making them the third ranked team that ECU has played this season. VCU has been especially dominant at home, going 6-0 at the Thalhimer Tennis Center and outscoring opponents 31-9. Paola Diaz Delgado has been the top singles player for VCU, going 7-1 on court one and she is currently ranked No. 69 in the ITA National Singles Rankings. Yelizaveta Karlova leads VCU with an 8-2 mark, including 5-1 on court two while Gabriela Davidescu is 7-3 overall. In doubles, the pairing of Davidescu and Shivani Manjanna leads the team with a 5-3 ledger, all on court one. Karlova and Nina Sorkin are second with a 4-2 record, all on court three.

East Carolina and VCU have met just five times since 2006, with the Rams holding a slight 3-2 edge in the series. The teams last played on Jan. 24, 2020 in Richmond, with VCU taking a 5-1 victory. Neither team has won two straight against each other since 2006, as ECU won 4-3 in Greenville in 2018. Diercksen got both a singles and a doubles victory in that tight contest which saw ECU trail 3-1 before battling back. Diercksen is not the only current Pirate with experience against VCU, as current head coach and former Pirate player Kirstin Burgess dropped a doubles match in a 5-0 VCU victory in 2006.

First serve for Thursday's match is scheduled for 3 p.m., at VCU's Thalhimer Tennis Center.

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Players Mentioned

Ines Bachir

Sofia Cerezo Holgado

Anne Lou Champion

Alisa Diercksen

Alisha Hussain

Martina Muzzolon

Isabella Rivera Ortiz

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