East Carolina Begins 2024 With Dual Match At VCU

GREENVILLE, N.C. – The East Carolina women's tennis team kickstarts its spring dual season Friday afternoon with a road match against VCU at the Thalhimer Tennis Center in Richmond, Va. First serve is set for 2 p.m.

Under the direction of third-year head coach Kirstin Burgess, ECU returns seven players from last year's squad that compiled a 9-10 record. The Pirates fell to Houston in a closely contested 4-2 decision in the first round of the American Athletic Conference Championship.

Doubles play was a particular strong point for East Carolina a season ago as the Pirates captured 14 of 19 doubles points including a streak of eight straight matches at one point. Ines Bachir and Alisha Hussain teamed up to post a 15-4 record at the No. 1 position and picked up a victory over a nationally ranked tandem from William & Mary along the way.

In terms of singles play, Martina Muzzolon is poised for a big season after producing a 12-4 mark in 2023 when she was 10-2 at the No. 3 spot. Bachir also notched 11 singles victories against six defeats while Joan Madi was 9-7 in her freshman campaign.

VCU compiled a 9-13 overall record and 4-0 mark in Atlantic 10 action before falling to Fordham in the conference tournament title match. Yelizaveta Karlova returns as the top singles player from 2023 as she registered a 20-10 record and was tabbed to the All-Atlantic 10 First Team.

East Carolina bested VCU by a 4-3 margin last year in Greenville in the Pirates' regular season finale. After ECU clinched the doubles point, Bachir, Madi and Laura Becker each emerged victorious in singles play to secure the win.

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Players Mentioned

Ines Bachir

Laura Becker

Alisha Hussain

Joan Madi

Martina Muzzolon

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