Hatters Face Lipscomb in ASUN Tournament on Friday

Stetson women's tennis opens Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament play against Lipscomb, 5 p.m., Friday in Fort Myers.

The No. 4 seed Hatters (6-13 overall, 3-3 ASUN) already own a 4-3 win over the Bisons this season on March 30 in Nashville. That started the Hatters on a regular season-ending streak of three wins in four matches, a run which head coach Travis Sandlant believes will help his team this weekend.

"Momentum is a huge factor," he said. "If you're on a winning streak, confidence and the team moral and spirit are good. I think we've got probably the best momentum we've had all year going into the most important point in our season."

Sandlant also isn't concerned about Stetson's extended layoff. The Hatters last played on April 8 when they defeated USC Upstate, 6-1, in DeLand.

"It's not really an issue," he said. "We've been playing a lot of tennis against ourselves over the last two weeks, and we've tried to make the situations as pressure packed and match-like as we can."

While veterans like Arijana Korac, Maja Salibasic and Isabella Fernandez will obviously play a huge role in Stetson's potential success this weekend, newcomers like Lucie Renault, Sofia Ferding and Danielle Peele will be equally impactful if Stetson is to advance.

"We've got to have a team effort; that's pretty much what it comes down to," Sandlant said. "Everyone has to turn up and perform. If you have one player who isn't competing to the best of their abilities then that puts a lot of pressure on everyone else."

Sandlant knows a thing or two about what it takes to win the ASUN Tournament. As head coach at East Tennessee State he led the Bucs to a pair of ASUN Tournament titles, in 2011 and 2014.

"We know that when there is a lot of pressure and when there's a lot on the line anything can happen," he said. "Past history in this tournament indicates that the No. 1 seed doesn't always win."

The tournament runs through Sunday, and the championship match will be televised on ESPN3.

--SU--

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Players Mentioned

Sofia Ferding: 5' 8"; Freshman

Isabella Fernandez: 5' 6"; Senior

Arijana Korac: 5' 4"; Junior

Danielle Peele: 5' 8"; Freshman

Lucie Renault: 5' 9"; Freshman

Maja Salibasic: 5' 6"; Senior

Players Mentioned

Sofia Ferding
: 5' 8"; Freshman

Isabella Fernandez
: 5' 6"; Senior

Arijana Korac
: 5' 4"; Junior

Danielle Peele
: 5' 8"; Freshman

Lucie Renault
: 5' 9"; Freshman

Maja Salibasic
: 5' 6"; Senior

Stetson University Athletics

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Hatters Face Lipscomb in ASUN Tournament on Friday

Players Mentioned

Sofia Ferding

Isabella Fernandez

Arijana Korac

Danielle Peele

Lucie Renault

Maja Salibasic

Players Mentioned

Sofia Ferding

Isabella Fernandez

Arijana Korac

Danielle Peele

Lucie Renault

Maja Salibasic