Three Home Matches This Week For FSU Tennis

Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University women's tennis team will play three Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) home matches this week at the FSU Racquet and Fitness Center in Big Rapids.

The three matches will serve as FSU's final league contests of the fall campaign prior to the 2010 GLIAC Tournament set for Oct. 22-24.

The Bulldogs open the homestand by hosting Ashland on Thursday, Oct. 7, in a 2 p.m. (EDT) conference home encounter.  Ferris then faces league newcomer Ohio Dominican for the first time on Friday, Oct. 8, at 3 p.m. (EDT).  The final match is a league tilt against another new league school in Lake Erie on Saturday, Oct. 9, at 11 a.m. (EDT).

Admission to all three matches is free.

"We have two critical matches coming up this week against Ashland, which defeated us in dual play last season, and Ohio Dominican, a new team to the conference which has made some waves this fall," said FSU head coach Alex Palladino.

"We are hosting the matches, and hoping for wins to help boost our confidence going into the season-ending conference tournament ," he added.

The Bulldogs are currently 6-2 both overall and in league play after a 6-3 setback at conference leader Grand Valley State last Friday (Oct. 1) in Allendale.  GVSU leads the league with a 7-0 GLIAC record followed by Northwood (7-1), Ashland (7-2), FSU (6-2) and Ohio Dominican (6-3) heading into this week's action.

Individually, senior Alina Stanila (Alexandria, Romania) presently leads the Bulldogs with an 8-0 record in singles play at the number one flight.  The tandem of Stanila and junior Melissa Flowers (Orland Park, Ill./Carl Sandburg) hold a team-leading 7-1 doubles mark at the second flight this fall.

Ferris State currently is 1-1 overall to date this fall in home contests.