BOWLING GREEN, Ky. -- Winners of three in a row, the WKU women's tennis team will prepare for a string of six matches in eight days, beginning with the 2012 home opener against SIU-Edwardsville on Friday. The match will be played from the Kereiakes Park Tennis Courts in Bowling Green at 1:00 p.m. (CT), marking the second consecutive year WKU has played a home match at Kereiakes Park.

Friday's action will mark the first Lady Topper match since a February 18 win over Lindsey Wilson, giving them a total of 13 days without playing in a match. 

During WKU's three-match winning streak, the top of the lineup has proved to be key, especially with the Lady Toppers winning all three matches by a combined three points. Monta Reinfelde is off to the best start in WKU history from the No. 1 singles and doubles position, boasting a 10-0 combined record. The mark is the best combined start from the top spot in known history and her 5-0 singles start is the best start since 2004 from the No. 1 singles position.

Reinfelde hasn't been the only consistent force atop the WKU lineup, as freshman Carolina Barboza has won three singles in a row, with all three resulting in Lady Topper wins. Barboza and teammate Alex Crofford also have a 3-2 record in doubles play, which is good for the second-best mark on the team

WKU will be looking to make it two in a row over the Cougars, as the Lady Toppers held on for a 4-3 win in Edwardsville, Ill., last season. Monta Reinfelde and Katrina Vucina each picked up a win in singles and doubles play, while McKinley Mason and Alex Crofford added a doubles win in the 2011 meeting.

Friday's home match is one of only two home women's tennis matches currently on the 2012 schedule. Admission is free to the event.

     

• WKU will play its 2012 home opener on Friday after playing the first five matches of the season away from Bowling Green. The Lady Toppers are 6-1 in their last seven home openers, including winning three in a row.  WKU last lost a home opener in 2008.
• WKU and SIU-Edwardsville met in the next-to-last match of the 2011 season, with WKU hanging on for a 4-3 win in Edwardsville, Ill. The Lady Toppers captured the doubles point and took three of the six singles to pick up the win. Monta Reinfelde and Katrina Vucina are two of the returning Lady Toppers that picked up a singles win that day.  
• Both WKU and SIU-Edwardsville have spent plenty of time on the road in 2012, as the Lady Toppers opened their season with five consecutive matches on the road, while the Cougars have not had a home match since January 21 and have played six-straight away from Edwardsville, Ill. SIU-Edwardsville has gone 2-4 in those six matches.
• The Lady Toppers will look to extend their current win streak to four matches, which would equal their second longest win streak over the last two years. In 2011, WKU rattled off six-straight wins from February 27 to April 3.
• The Lady Toppers will have enjoyed 13 days without a match heading into Friday. The Lady Toppers last played on February 18, picking up a 4-3 win over Lindsey Wilson.
• WKU has made a habit of hanging on to close matches of late, as the Lady Toppers have won three matches in a row, all by a 4-3 score. WKU played only two matches that ended in a 4-3 score in 2011, with the Lady Toppers going 2-0 in those matches. WKU has not lost a 4-3 match since March 6, 2010.

• WKU sophomore Monta Reinfelde improved to 5-0 in both singles and doubles play after a perfect day against Lindsey Wilson. The 10-0 combined start is the best start at WKU from the No. 1 position of record.
• With a 19-4 career singles record, sophomore Monta Reinfelde is just one win away from the 20-win plateau.
• Reinfelde’s four singles wins in February moved her career mark in the month of February to 12-1 after going 8-1 in 2011. Reinfelde also picked a Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week award following her 3-0 weekend. Reinfelde became the first Lady Topper since Inese Zverge in 1999 to win the award.
• WKU freshman Carolina Barboza has thrived from the No. 2 singles position in 2012, as she has won three consecutive singles from the No. 2 spot — all resulting in Lady Topper wins.
• After winning six singles from the No. 6 position in 2011, sophomore Morgan Freeman has moved up in the lineup to the No. 5 spot. Freeman picked up her first singles win of the season against Lindsey Wilson, winning 6-2, 6-3 over Anna Gaprindashvili. 
• WKU has used only two different lineups in 2012 and has used the same lineup in four consecutive matches. The Lady Toppers have gone 3-1 in those four matches.