University of Washington
Alabama
Huskies Head South For Two Road Matches
January 18, 2017 | Women's Tennis
SEATTLE – Returning from Hawai'i this week after picking up two wins last weekend, the Washington women's tennis team (2-0) will head back out on the road to Tuscaloosa, Ala., where they will face Alabama (2-0) on Saturday January 21st at 1 p.m. PT, and Illinois (0-0) on Sunday the 22nd at 9 a.m. PT.
"Last weekend was a great start for us and everyone was just excited to get back on the court and in competition mode," said head coach Robin Stephenson. "I was really happy with the competitive toughness and the way the girls handled themselves on court."
The Huskies opened their season last Thursday against Hawai'i, picking up a 6-1 victory before defeating Kansas State on Friday 7-0. Five Dawgs picked up two singles wins each on the trip, including sophomore Stacey Fung, who defeated her first ranked opponent of the new season against Hawai'i and grabbed her team-leading 9th singles win of the 2016-17 year against the Wildcats. The 35th ranked duo in the country of Nour Abbes and Miki Kobayashi took care of business as well, grabbing two wins on court one in each match.
Saturday's match will prove a tough one for the Huskies, with Alabama owning two ITA singles rankings. Senior Erin Routliffe, who ranked as high as 18th during the fall, currently sits at 86th in the nation, while fellow senior Danielle Spielmann is ranked 109th. Routliffe also owns a ranking by the ITA in doubles, paired with sophomore Andie Daniell for the 43rd duo in the country. Alabama is led by head coach Jenny Mainz, who is in her 20th year and coached Washington's own Stephenson during her time with the Tide.
"It will be fun to get back to Tuscaloosa where I played and compete against my former coach and her team," said Stephenson. "Her teams are always tough competitors and I'm looking forward to this opportunity."
This will be Stephenson's first trip back to Tuscaloosa, Ala. to face her alma mater since becoming head coach of the Huskies in 2014. The 2005 singles All-American ended her collegiate career as the winningest player in program history, and still owns the highest ever final singles ranking received at Alabama at 9th. She was named a captain of the Tide three times, during her sophomore, junior and senior seasons, and helped guide her team to four-straight NCAA Tournament appearances.
"I have such great memories of competing on those courts with my teammates," said Stephenson. "I am thrilled to get back there now as the head coach of this program."
The Dawgs will stay in town for their second match of the weekend, facing Illinois on Sunday. The Fighting Illini will begin their 2017 schedule on Friday against Alabama before taking on UW, with head coach Evan Clark making his debut at the helm. Senior Louise Kwong and sophomore Ines Vias currently rank 32nd in doubles by the ITA after making a run at the ITA Midwest Regional this past fall, reaching the semifinals.
"It will be fun to see how this group continues to come together this weekend," said Stephenson. "We have two very tough tests that will require our best."
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