What you need to know:
* After dropping two matches on opening weekend, Georgia State's women's tennis will look to bounce back as the team heads to Athens, Ga. for ITA Kickoff Weekend.
* The Panthers will begin the tournament with a match against the University of Illinois on Saturday at 9 a.m. Depending on the result, GSU will either play in the consolation or championship match against New Mexico or Georgia.
* Georgia State will rely on upperclassmen Kristin Rehse and Tarani Kamoe to play well against stout competition out in Athens. All matches will be played on UGA's Lindsey Hopkins Indoor Tennis Courts.
ATLANTA – The Georgia State women's tennis team is set to travel out to Athens, Ga. this afternoon. The team has been preparing all week for the ninth annual ITA Kickoff Weekend. The Panthers are ready to take on a tough group of competition that includes Illinois, Georgia and New Mexico.
“We have had a good week at practice working specifically on some of the things we struggled with last weekend,” head coach Jason Marshall said. “I told the team we just need to get two percent better. We are focusing on us and improving first-serve percentage, first-serve placement and covering ground in our doubles combinations.”
Last week, GSU fell to UL Monroe 4-2 before dropping its final match to host Auburn 4-0. The Fighting Illini will also be looking for their first win of the 2017 campaign under head coach Evan Clark. Illinois lost two matches last weekend to Alabama and Washington.
The Panthers mustered just one singles victory last week. Freshman Arina Taluyenko defeated UL Monroe's Madalina Grigoriu 7-5, 6-2. Georgia State took two of three doubles matches from the Warhawks behind strong performances from Tarani Kamoe and Taluyenko as well as Daniela Ramirez and Anastasia Grosheva.
Depending on the result of the opening match, the Panthers will either play in the championship match on Sunday at 5 p.m. ET or the consolation match at 9 a.m. ET. GSU will play the winner or loser of UGA versus Washington.
First serve between Illinois and Georgia State is set for 9 a.m.
Follow along with Georgia State on Twitter (@GSUWTennis) for the latest news.
