Bronchos hit the road to take on Tarleton State, Dallas Baptist

2/16/2017 11:34:00 AM | By: Chris Brannick

Central Oklahoma senior Shali Schoepflin and the Bronchos head to Texas this weekend to take on Tarleton State and Dallas Baptist. [UCO Photo Services]

The University of Central Oklahoma women's tennis team is heading to Texas for a pair of matches this weekend. The Bronchos will face Tarleton State on Friday at 3 p.m., then take on Dallas Baptist on Saturday at 10 a.m.

This weekend will provide two tough tests for the Bronchos, who are 3-0 on the season. UCO is ranked seventh in the Central Regional Rankings, released Wednesday by the ITA. Dallas Baptist is fifth in the South Central Region, and Tarleton State is sixth.

"I want all of our games to be against the best teams," first-year UCO head coach Jaron Maestas said. "That's only going to make our girls better. It doesn't really help you when you play teams that aren't very good."

Maestas said he knows UCO is capable of playing with the best in the country, and this weekend is the chance to prove it.

The Bronchos are led by Alli Hodges, ranked 43rd in the country and fourth in the region. Hodges is 3-0 in singles matches this season, including a big straight-set win over regionally ranked Polina Chala of Southern Nazarene.

Hodges has yet to drop a set in three duals.

The Bronchos as a team are 16-2 in singles matches this season. Maestas points to that number when he emphasizes the importance of winning the doubles matches.

"Gaining an advantage in the match by winning doubles is crucial," Maestas said. "If we're up 2-1 or 3-0 after doubles then we have a great chance to win the match."

Up first is Tarleton State for the Bronchos. TSU is 4-1 on the season, beating Howard Payne, Ouachita Baptist, Henderson State and Delta State. TSU lost to 11th-ranked Southwest Baptist last week.

Tarleton's Tori Simmons is the only player to compete in all five matches, and she has gone 5-0. Simmons is 1-0 in the No. 3 spot in the lineup, and has won two matches each at No. 5 and No. 6. Alicia Barbaroux is also unbeaten for Tarleton State. Barbaroux is 4-0 with two wins at No. 4 and two wins at No. 5. Erika Johnston is 2-2 at No. 1 singles for TSU.

Tarleton State is 19-5 in singles matches, with a 13-1 mark in doubles. Luiza Ferraro-Adas and Elena Preadca have gone 3-1 at No. 1 doubles. Ashleigh Elward and Simmons are 1-0 in that spot.

Saturday, the Bronchos take on Dallas Baptist, which is 3-1 this season. Dallas Baptist lost its season opener to Tyler Junior College 9-0, but has beat UT-Tyler, Texas A&M-Kingsville, and UT-Permian Basin since, surrending a combined three points in three matches.

DBU is led by Ana Banic, who is 3-1 in singles play this season. Banic has played at the No. 1 and No. 2 spot in DBU's lineup. She was also named the Heartland Conference's Player of the Week for last week's matches, when she went 2-0.

The Bronchos return home following their short trip to Texas this weekend, but only for a short time. UCO hosts Cowley County on Wednesday, Feb. 22, before beginning a string of five-straight road matches.

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