The University of Evansville women's tennis team opens up its Missouri Valley Conference season this weekend. The Aces (7-3) travel to Southern Illinois (8-5) on Friday for a 4 p.m. match, and on Saturday return home to take on non-conference rival Butler (5-8) at 1 p.m. at the Carson Center courts.

The team will head into its second MVC season under Head Coach Christine Bader. Junior Kate Chybowski is a perfect 10-0 at the No. 1 singles spot. Chybowski  has already been named the MVC Tennis Player of the Week. The success in singles is matched in doubles, as Chybowski and partner Dora Kotsiou are 8-1 on the year at the No. 1 spot. This doubles tandem advanced into the round of 16 at the ITA Ohio Valley Region Tournament in December. When talking about Pin Sorensen, Aleksandra Dzakula, and Jessica Raatz, the common denominator is winning under pressure. In Hilton Head, Raatz pulled out a three-set victory to seal the win over Slippery Rock. In matches decided by two points or less, Sorensen and Dzakula are an outstanding 8-3 in singles.

The Aces return to action after a two-week layoff following their spring trip to Hilton Head. UE's 3-0 record there included a 7-0 win over Millersville University, 5-2 win over George Mason University, and a 4-3 win over Slippery Rock.

“I'm looking forward to two very competitive matches this weekend," Bader said. "We are excited to start up the conference season with SIU and then play Butler on our home turf. Last year the matches against SIU and Butler were very close. Practices these past several weeks have been focused in trying to further prepare for this weekend and the rest of conference. The conference season goes by in a flash, and as a team we want to take advantage of each opportunity having no regrets. Each match will be a dogfight. We will have to start off strong with our aggressive doubles and continue fighting and making smart decisions in the singles.”