HARRISONBURG, Va., March 29, 2012 - After hosting four straight matches, the James Madison women's tennis team will travel to Norfolk, Va. for two neutral-site conference duals. The Dukes take on Delaware on Friday, March 30 at 2:30 p.m. and 75th-ranked UNCW on Saturday at 11 a.m.
Madison enters the weekend's competition at 8-3 on the season, including an 0-1 mark in the Colonial Athletic Association. Coming off back-to-back wins over St. Francis (Pa.) (7-0) and nationally-ranked Division II California (Pa.) (5-2), the Dukes are led by juniors Michelle Nguyen (Springfield, Va./South County) and Megan Douglass (Wilton, Conn./St. Luke's). Nguyen boasts an 8-2 singles record, having won her last six consecutive contests, while Douglass is 8-3 in singles competition and also holds a 6-2 doubles record.
Freshman Taylor Pinchoff (Sylvan Lake, Mich./West Bloomfield) has also won her last four singles matchups and totes a 5-2 record while junior Katherine Bulling (Loveland, Ohio/Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy) and sophomore Jacqueline Palmucci (Aurora, Colo./Cherokee Trail) have each won seven singles matches for the Dukes.
The Delaware Blue Hens are 6-2 overall and 1-0 in CAA play heading into Friday's matchup with the Dukes. Delaware's lone CAA match was a 7-0 win over Hofstra on March 18. The Blue Hens have won their last three matches and currently have two players with a four-match or better singles win streak. Kimberly Milla has won seven in a row and Sophie Sjoberg-Sundstrum has won four in a row for Delaware.
Looking ahead to Saturday's matchup, UNCW enters competition ranked 75th in the nation. The Seahawks have won back-to-back matches over Appalachian State (6-1) on March 25 and over then No. 75 Coastal Carolina (5-2) on March 28. Alyssa Ritchie and Angie Sekely have both reached the 10-win mark on the season. Ritchie boasts a 10-3 singles record while Sekely is 12-4 for the Seahawks.
Following Saturday's matchup, the Dukes return home to face Liberty on Thursday, April 5 in the Dukes' final home match of the season.
