MONTGOMERY, Ala.| Alabama State, fresh off their third consecutive Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) championship, hits the road to face top-seeded Georgia in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament Saturday.
Alabama State (13-8) defeated Alcorn State in the championship match to earn their third consecutive conference championship, and extend their unbeaten streak in conference play to three years. The Lady Hornets, combined with the men, have won 54 straight conference matches.
Reka Szentes, the SWAC Player of the Year, leads Alabama State in singles play with a 9-6 record – including an 8-5 record at number one singles. Meanwhile,
Urska Velec – the SWAC Freshman of the Year – and
Lea Krajcovicova each finished 9-6 in singles play. Meanwhile,
Worthy Goldman (8-5) and Mario Popova (7-4) each recorded seven-plus victories in singles play.
In doubles, the team of Szentes and Velec led the team with an 11-4 record; while the team of Krajcovicova and
Gabriela Lackova finished 8-5.
Georgia received a bid to the NCAA Tournament for the 33rd-straight year with an all-time tournament record of 79-30. The 2019 season marks the ninth consecutive year the Bulldog women have earned a host position for the first and second rounds of the tournament. The Georgia women have two NCAA titles (1994 and 2000), while a Bulldog has won the NCAA singles championship three times (1984 Lisa Spain, 1994 Angela Lettiere, and 2010 Chelsey Gullickson).
Austin Peay and Wake Forest round out the regional, and will open play at 10 am; followed by the Hornets playing Georgia at 1 pm.
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