SETTING THE TABLE
Fairfield University women's tennis returns to play this Friday when they travel into Queens, N.Y. to take on St. John's. First serve between the Stags and the Red Storm is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. from the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y.
SCOUTING THE STAGS
Fairfield makes the trip down to New York City after splitting a pair of matches last weekend against Merrimack and Bryant. The Stags took down the Warriors in impressive fashion, 6-1 on Saturday before falling in a closely contested match against the Bulldogs Sunday, 4-3. Friday will kick-off a stretch of four matches in six days, with St. John's serving as the precursor to a trio of matches in South Carolina for the Stags over spring break next week.
Sandra Bozinovic, who was named the MAAC Women's Tennis Player of the Week on Wednesday, leads the Stags into singles play with a 12-3 record this season, including five wins in the top flight, and enters Friday riding a three-match winning streak at the No. 1 position. Katarina Plumtree sits second on the team with seven wins, including three at No. 2 singles, and one victory ahead of Aina March and Amanda Nowak
In doubles play, Bozinovic and Plumtree have posted the best record as a tandem this season, earning three wins thus far, while Plumtree and Bozinovic have each tallied six overall victories in the doubles' rounds. Bozinovic and Francesca Karman sit one win off the team-lead with five apiece, followed by Laina Campos and Sophia Prinos with four each.
SCOUTING THE RED STORM
St. John's takes on Fairfield Friday in the final non-league tune-up before the Red Storm open up BIG EAST play the following week against Seton Hall. Friday also marks the first of three consecutive home matches for St. John's after going 1-3 in their last four contests, all on the road. Most recently, the Red Storm took down Lehigh 7-0, which snapped a three-game losing streak, and put the Johnnies one game above .500 at 6-5 on the year.
STAGS TABBED SECOND IN MAAC PRESEASON POLL
The MAAC announced the 2022 Preseason Coaches' Poll for women's tennis on Jan. 13, win Fairfield picked to finish second in the conference heading into the Spring campaign. The Stags earned 41 votes including one first place vote in the poll, just behind Quinnipiac, which was picked to finish first with 46 overall votes and four first place nods.
STAGS SPRING SLATE
Saturday's meeting with UConn kicks off a 16-match spring schedule for Fairfield, including a ten game non-conference slate leading into a three-week sprint to the finish in conference play, before the MAAC championships in late April.
Opening the campaign with four matches on the road, and three against Big East opponents, the Stags will take on Seton Hall, UConn, Lafayette and Providence, before returning to the Nutmeg State to host for four straight matches at home. The homestand will the see the Stags take on Wagner, Stony Brook, Merrimack and Bryant, before heading back out on the road to take on St. John's in Flushing, N.Y. The non-conference side of the calendar concludes with three matches in South Carolina during the middle of March, taking on the College of Charleston, Wofford, and South Carolina State.
After returning from their spring break trip, the Stags will play six MAAC contests, beginning with a trip New Jersey to battle Monmouth Mar. 26 before the Stags return home to host Niagara on Apr. 3. The following week takes Fairfield to the Empire State twice in four days to take on Marist on Apr. 6 and Siena on Apr. 9. Quinnipiac and Rider will be the final opponents prior to the postseason on Apr. 13 and 16, respectively.
The 2022 MAAC tennis championships will be held on Saturday, Apr. 23-24 from the Mercer County Park Tennis Center in West Windsor, N.J.
LOOKING AHEAD
Fairfield women's tennis is back in action Sunday in the first of three matches down in South Carolina. The Stags open the road trip taking on the College of Charleston at 2:00 p.m.
