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Long Beach State University Athletics
49ers Continue Home Stand with Two Non-Conference Matches
3/5/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
March 5, 2014
First Serve: The 57th-ranked Long Beach State women's tennis team will host two non-conference foes this week as Tulane and Montana visit the Rhodes Tennis Center on Thursday and Saturday respectively. Thursday's match against the Green Wave is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. while Saturday's contest against the Grizzlies will begin at 11 a.m.
Last Outing: Last week marked the beginning of eight straight home matches for the 49ers as they played host to No. 67 BYU. Severe rain showers hit the area and halted the match mid-way through singles play. The three matches that were able to be completed featured two LBSU wins including a Maeva Razakasoa victory at the No. 2 spot as well as a win from Hayley Thompson at the No. 5 spot. The Cougars were able to capture the other match at the No. 3 spot. Beach Tennis was leading in two of the three remaining matches as Ebba Unden was serving for match point at the top spot when the match was called and Karolina Rozenberg has fought her way back from a first set loss to lead 4-1 in the third. Since the match could not be completed, an official match result was not issued, although the end results from the three completed matches counted towards each individual's overall record.
A look at Tulane: The Green Wave visit the Rhodes Tennis Center for the first time ever in the history of Beach Tennis. Tulane brings a 4-8 record to Thursday's contest, but the trip to Southern California marks the first road test for the Green Wave. Tulane began the season ranked No. 53, but losses throughout the first half of the season dropped them out as of Feb. 25. Over the past two weeks, the Green Wave have gone 1-3 including a stretch of three straight losses to ranked opponents at the Blue-Gray National Tennis Classic in Montgomery, Ala. before they picked up a 4-3 win over St. John's at home last weekend.
Scouting the Grizzlies: Montana returns to Long Beach for the first time since the inaugural Beach Tennis season in 1980 in a match-up that featured a 9-0 sweep by the 49ers. Montana comes into Saturday's contest with a 3-2 record, but the Grizzlies haven't played since Feb. 15 as their match last weekend with Portland State was cancelled. Montana won three in a row prior to that cancellation, sweeping its last two opponents in Lewis-Clark State and Montana State at home. The Grizzlies' two losses have come at the hands of Washington State and Minnesota. Montana will travel to UC Riverside for a match on Friday before coming to Long Beach on Saturday. The Grizzlies will then close out their Southern California road trip with a match at Cal State Northridge on Sunday.
No Place Like Home: This week's matches offer a chance for the 49ers to extend their home winning streak to 19 matches as Beach Tennis hasn't lost in the Rhodes Tennis Center since March 20, 2012. LBSU went a perfect 11-0 last season and have compiled a 5-0 so far this season. The 49ers have eight more home contests remaining on the schedule, seven of which are non-conference affairs. Beach Tennis will host UC Irvine in a Big West showdown in its final home match on April 12.
A Look Ahead: The 49ers will have just one match next week in a huge non-conference match-up with No. 38 Pepperdine. The match will take place on Saturday at noon.
Players Mentioned
