BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The No. 71-ranked Samford University women's tennis team will begin play in the home portion of its 2015 dual-match schedule Saturday at noon (CST) as the Bulldogs welcome the Kennesaw State Owls to the Samford Tennis Center for an early-season, non-conference contest.
 
Samford (0-2) heads into the matchup with aspirations of bouncing back from a pair of hard-fought losses in last week's 2015 ITA Kick-Off Weekend, which was held at the University of Georgia's Lindsey Hopkins Indoor Facility.
 
The Bulldogs opened the prestigious event with a 4-1 loss against 10^th-ranked Georgia on Saturday. Samford started the weekend in thrilling fashion by winning the doubles point against the Bulldogs and taking an early 1-0 advantage over Georgia.
 
The feat marked the first time in school history that Samford held an advantage over a top-10 ranked opponent.
 
On Sunday, the Bulldogs closed out the impressive ITA season-opening event with a 4-0 loss to the No. 63-ranked Wake Forest Demon Deacons in Athens, Georgia.
 
Saturday's home contest against Kennesaw State (0-1) will mark the beginning of a four-match homestand for Samford. After meeting the Owls, the Bulldogs will also play host to UAB (Feb. 7), Jacksonville State (Feb. 11) and Auburn (Feb. 14).
 
Kennesaw State enters its matchup with Samford hoping to rebound from a disappointing 7-0 season-opening loss to Chattanooga on Jan. 24. The Owls were swept in doubles action and their struggles continued through singles play, losing all six matches.
 
Virginie Stein put up a great effort on court No. 1 in singles play. Stein opened the first set with a 6-1 loss to Kayla Jones but quickly combated that effort in the second set with a 6-4 victory, before taking a 10-7 loss in the tiebreaker set.
 
Last season, Samford opened its 2014 campaign against Kennesaw State at home and cruised to a 7-0 victory. With the win, Head Coach David Vest reached the impressive 200-victory plateau for his career in the lopsided non-conference victory held at the Samford Tennis Center.
 
Vest, who is in the midst of his seventh season at Samford, now boasts an all-time coaching record of 219-140, as well as a stellar 107-56 mark as a Bulldog.
 
Following Saturday's home-opening contest against Kennesaw State, the No. 71-ranked Samford University women's tennis team will next be in action Feb. 7 at noon (CST) as the Bulldogs continue their four-match homestand versus the UAB Blazers in a cross-town contest to be held at the Samford Tennis Center.