COLUMBIA, Mo. – The University of Missouri (6-10, 1-2 SEC) returns home for a pair of matches against No. 16 Florida (10-4, 2-2 SEC) and No. 45 South Carolina (7-6, 2-2 SEC) on Friday, March 18 and Sunday, March 20.
SEC Opening Weekend
During SEC opening weekend, the Tigers went 1-1 against No. 43 Kentucky and No. 39 Vanderbilt. Mizzou secured its first ranked SEC win of the season, downing Kentucky 4-3. The team staged a late match comeback in singles play, led by Bronte Murgett who scored the first point with her win against No. 108 Carlota Molina, 6-3, 6-2. Ellie Wright and Elys Ventura secured two more points for the Tigers, winning their matches, 6-2, 7-5, and 6-3, 6-4, respectively. Gabriela Martinez clinched the match in the final slot, 1-6, 6-2, 6-4. The victory over Kentucky was the team's first ranked SEC win on the road since the 2016-17 season. Mizzou moved on to No. 39 Vanderbilt where the team was unable to generate another comeback and lost, 1-5.
East Coast Opponents
No. 16 Florida is .500 in SEC action this season, with wins versus LSU and (then) No. 16 Tennessee, and losses against No. 11 Texas A&M and No. 23 Georgia. These are four of 10 ranked teams the Gators have faced this season alone. In the March 9 ITA Rankings, a handful of players belong to Florida's roster. In singles, McCartney Kessler sits at No. 32 followed by Marlee Zein at No. 55. In doubles, Florida breaks the Top 10 with Carly Briggs and Marlee Zein slated No. 6 alongside Alicia Dudeney and Bente Spee at No. 18.
No. 45 South Carolina is in a similar position, also tied 2-2 in the SEC, beating LSU and No. 16 Tennessee and losing to No. 11 Texas A&M and No. 23 Georgia. As of the March 9 ITA Rankings, South Carolina controls five slots in the lineup. Sarah Hamner is the No. 2 singles player in the country, trading down one spot from her previous rank at No. 1. Ayana Akli and Elise Mills join Hamner with spots at No. 66 and No. 85 respectively. In doubles, Hamner teams up with Misa Malkin at No. 20 and Malkin and Akli take the No. 60 rank.
Promotional Weekend
The Tigers have a weekend of fierce competition ahead, but maintain a home court advantage. The match against No. 16 Florida is set to begin at 2 p.m. on Friday, March 18, and the competition against No. 45 South Carolina will start at 10 a.m. on Sunday, March 20. Friday's match will feature Hotbox cookies for the first 150 fans, and Sunday's Pink Match will have a t-shirt giveaway for the first 100 fans and breakfast burritos for the first 50 people to arrive. Fans are encouraged to wear pink on Sunday to support breast cancer awareness.
