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Ericka Dawson
Sarah Ritter

Tennis Continues In-State Stretch at St. Francis

| By: WIU Athletic Communications

Western takes on the Fighting Saints Sunday (Feb. 14) at noon.

Who | Western Illinois at St. Francis (Ill.)
When | Sunday, Feb. 14 at Noon
Where | Lockport, Illinois
Social Media | Twitter + Facebook #TRADITIONofTOUGH

First Serve | The Western Illinois women's tennis team follows last weekend's match at SIUE with another in-state contest with St. Francis (Ill.) on Sunday (Feb. 14) at 12 p.m.

Simhambhatla Shines | Nikhita Simhambhatla returns for the 2021 campaign after standing out for the Leathernecks last season. The sophomore led the team in singles victories with four during her initial season with the program, including two at the Eastern Illinois Invitational. 

Player to Watch | In her very first season as a Leatherneck, freshman Aina Cortina-Pou was selected to The Summit League Women's Tennis Preseason Athletes to Watch List. The Blanes, Spain native prepped at Institut Serrallarga where she became a strong baseline player with a lot of high level tournament experience.  

Last Time Out | The Leathernecks traveled to SIUE last Saturday (Feb. 6) to face off against the Cougars. Aina Cortina-Pou fell 6-1, 6-0 at No. 1, and Lorena Castellanos dropped 6-2, 6-1 in the No. 2 spots, while Agatha Carbonell battled hard but dropped 7-6, 6-2 at No. 3. Rounding out singles action Lucky Kancherla (No. 4), Maria Rybka (No. 5), and Nikhita Simhambhatla (No. 6) were all edged out in two straight sets. 

Scouting the Fighting Saints | St. Francis opens their season against Western Illinois after having their initial opener against Northern Illinois postponed. The Fighting Saints return all eight athletes from the 2019-2020 campaign as the program also added two fresh faces to the program for the spring season. The Fighting Saints finished last season with a 3-4 overall record, winning two conference matchups. 

Necks/Fighting Saints History | Sunday marks the fourth time that these two programs face off against one another. Western holds a 3-0 advantage in the series with their most recent victory coming in the form of a 9-0 victory on Feb. 16, 2018. The Leathernecks have not given up a point against St. Francis in any previous matchup. 

Up Next | Western Illinois travels has a little time off before they travel to Normal, Illinois to close out their in-state stretch against Illinois State on Wednesday (Feb. 24). 
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