Mercer University
Oral Roberts
Women's Tennis Opens Season in Oklahoma
1/10/2020 10:24:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Bears play its first match of the season on Saturday
MACON, Ga. – The Mercer women's tennis team opens its season this weekend in Tulsa, Okla. The Bears will play Oral Roberts on Jan. 11 at 3 p.m. ET before taking on Tulsa on Sunday, Jan. 12 at 10 a.m. ET. Â
GAMEDAYÂ LINEUP
Date:Â Saturday, January 11, 2020 | 3 p.m. (ET)
Teams:Â Mercer (0-0, 0-0 SoCon) at Oral Roberts (0-0, 0-0 Summit)
Location: Tulsa, Okla. | Michael D. Case Tennis Center
Date:Â Sunday, January 12, 2020 | 10 a.m. (ET)Â
Teams:Â Mercer (0-0, 0-0 SoCon) at Tulsa (0-0, 0-0 AAC)
Location: Tulsa, Okla. | Michael D. Case Tennis Center
Scouting the Golden Eagles
Oral Roberts match against the Bears will be the first of the season. The Golden Eagles were picked to finish in second place in The Summit League this season with 18 points. They also received one first-place vote. Senior Ivana Babic and freshman Oleksandra Nahurska, who are two players to watch in The Summit League, lead Oral Roberts. Babic is a transfer from North Texas were she as named All-C-USA Second Team in doubles. She went 11-4 in singles and 9-8 in doubles in the spring of 2019. Nahurska is ranked ninth in the girl's 18's ranking in Ukraine and she has had multiple wins during her high school career. Mark Milner leads the Golden Eagles and he is in his eighth year at the helm.
Scouting the Golden Hurricane
Like the previous day, Tulsa's first match of the season will come when they take on the Bears on Sunday. Tulsa is led by Martina Okalova who is ranked 52nd in the ITA women's singles ranking, which is the highest singles ranking of her career. Okalova and Vera Ploner are ranked 40th in the ITA doubles rankings. During the team's 2019 fall campaign, the Golden Hurricane combined 48-29 in singles and 16-17 in doubles matches. During September, Okalova was named the American Athletic Conference Women's Tennis Player of the Month. Dean Orford leads the Golden Hurricane and he is in his 15th season at the helm.
NEXT UP
The women's team will travel to Atlanta, Ga. to take on Georgia Tech on Tuesday, Jan. 21. The Bears and Yellow Jackets will place at the Byers Tennis Complex. The match is set to start at 4 p.m.
Follow the BearsÂ
For complete coverage of Mercer Tennis, please follow the Bears on social media at @MercerWTennis and @MercerMTennis (Twitter) and /MercerWTennis and /MercerMensTennis (Facebook) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.
