MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Alabama State University Men's and Women's tennis teams are already tried and tested this season, picking up some impressive wins along the way.  But it will be this upcoming weekend that will be their first real gauge of their standing within the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) as the teams travel to Baton Rouge, La. Thursday.

The SWAC round up, the first of the season, will be the first chance for the coaches and players to scout potential championship rivals in person and not just through scores on paper.

The Hornets and Lady Hornets head into the weekend with less than ideal preparation but head coach Anuk Christiansz isn't too worried, saying "the weather has prevented us from getting on the courts as much as we would have liked this week but there are positives that can come from that.  The teams are still high on confidence from the wins over Alabama A & M last weekend and the few unscheduled days off has given players time to rest and everyone is really eager to make an impact this weekend and send a message."

The Hornets (2-3), who are the reigning SWAC champions after capturing the programs first title last year in New Orleans, have retained the services of all six of those championship starters.  Led by 2015 SWAC tournament Most Valuable Player (MVP) Takura Mlambo, the Junior from Portsmouth, England, is ready for the team to get conference play underway.  "We've won two in a row so confidence is high.  The Jacksonville State game was a massive result for us.  We're confident but not cocky, we know how matches can be lost if you underestimate some of the teams in the SWAC and so we will go out there and do our best to get the wins as a team" he said.

The Lady Hornets (4-5) will start their SWAC campaign hoping to improve on last season's semi-final appearance.  Also keeping all of last season's starters, while adding freshmen Gabriela Lackova and Patricia Regel, who have won matches at two and three respectively, provides the Lady Hornets with strength in depth.  It also provides coach Christiansz with the right kind of coaching headache, stating "we have more than six players fighting for six spots.  It pushes the women while also giving me the chance to rotate the line-up and keep players fresh.  It's a good problem for me to have."

Senior, and team captain, Arantxia Wijngaarde, of Paramaribo, Suriname, backed up Christiansz's statements.  "With the addition of our new players we have a really solid team and it keeps everyone on their toes which is great for our mentality, to keep getting better.  It was great seeing the guys win that ring but we're just as determined to get some jewellery ourselves this season and this weekend is the start of that journey to New Orleans" she said.

There will be matches a plenty this weekend with the Hornets playing three in two days and the Lady Hornets playing a gruelling four matches in two days.

Both teams play their first match Friday, at 9 a.m., against Alcorn State University before backing up to play Jackson State University at 1 p.m. which, for the men, will be a replay of that championship match last season.  Saturday sees ASU take on the University of Arkansas – Pine Bluff at 9 a.m. before the Lady Hornets play their fourth and final match to wrap up the weekend against Grambling State University at 1 p.m.