LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. – Following a three-game trip to the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Fla. last week, Fairfield University women's tennis returns to action Sunday afternoon as they open the MAAC calendar at Rider. Opening serve against the Broncs is scheduled for 12:00 p.m.

With the MAAC side of the calendar getting underway this weekend, the Stags have not played since their trip to Florida after the home opener against Providence was rained out on Thursday. Fairfield is looking to break a two-game losing streak which came following an end-to-end 4-3 win over Fairleigh Dickinson last Tuesday. After starting the year 0-4, the women's squad then won four of its next five matches, with three victories coming at their indoor home venue, the Tennis Club of Trumbull, leaving the Stags undefeated heading into the MAAC season.

Lize-Alet Morkel will lead her side into singles action with the graduate transfer from UNC-Asheville entering Thursday with nine solo victories under her belt. Freshman Sarah Liu sits second on the squad with six victories, followed by five from classmate Meg Harding and four by Francesca Karman. In doubles play, Morkel and Karman have garnered the most wins as a partnership with seven together, one win ahead of Liu and Paulina Bakaite who hold the highest winning percentage with a 6-2 record in eight matches. Individually in doubles action Bakaite has tallied the most wins with nine in 12 matches, ahead of a trio of Stags with seven apiece.

At 2-7 heading into the MAAC season Rider enters with wins over Binghamton and Wagner but have dropped their last three contests and have had a trio of matches following that stretch canceled or postponed.

Following Sunday's match Fairfield women's tennis returns home for senior day weekend Apr. 1-2 with a pair of home matches against Siena and Mount St. Mary's from the WAC Tennis Courts.