OXFORD, Ohio - The Miami RedHawks will begin their streak of three-straight matches against local Southwest Ohio foes on Friday when Miami makes the short trip south to tangle with the rival Cincinnati Bearcats.
The Bearcats will host the match at the Western Tennis and Fitness Club in Cincinnati and first serve is scheduled for 5:00 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT
Miami fell to 1-3 on the non-conference season after last week's pair of matches, both of which came against power-conference opponents. On January 20, the Boilermakers of Purdue got the best of the 'Hawks by a 6-2 scoreline, despite a great doubles performance and heroics from
Laura Rico on court two. The next day saw Kentucky take down Miami 6-1, although
Brindtha Ramasamy did impress with a win over UK's top singles player.
DOUBLES TEAM OF THE WEEK
A bright spot in MU's loss to Purdue was the strong doubles showing from the RedHawks, which was led in part by Ramasamy and Rico at first doubles. The team of sophomores cooled down the top Boilermaker pairing of Dobrilova/Shimizu by a 6-2 score to help the 'Hawks claim the opening point. For this showing, Ramasamy and Rico were recognized as the Mid-American Conference Doubles Team of the Week.
SCOUTING THE BEARCATS
Cincinnati comes into the match at 2-1 on the season after wins against Army and Akron to start to year and a 5-2 loss to Kentucky last week, giving the Bearcats and RedHawks a common opponent on the young season. UC is led at the top two spots by junior Ioana Guna and senior Caroline Morton; the two also combine to form the Bearcats' top doubles pair. Emma Miceli, at fourth singles, and Maria Santilli, at sixth, are both undefeated so far in the spring season.
SERIES HISTORY
The RedHawks and Bearcats have a storied history with Miami holding a 25-9 all-time lead in the series. The last few meetings have gone UC's way, however, as the Bearcats have snatched the last four meetings. Last year's contest went 5-2 in favor of Cincinnati, although Ramasamy did post a decisive win over Guna on court one.
LOOKING AHEAD
After Friday's match, the RedHawks will have a two-week break before returning February 15 to face Dayton on the road. Miami will have its home opener one week after that against Xavier.
