BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The No. 71-ranked Samford University women's tennis team will attempt to extend its school-record home winning streak to 18-consecutive matches Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. (CST) as the Bulldogs welcome the Jacksonville State Gamecocks to the Samford Tennis Center for a key in-state contest.
 
Samford (2-2) heads into the match with a full head of steam after picking up back-to-back home victories against Kennesaw State and UAB. The Bulldogs cruised past Kennesaw State, 7-0, on Jan. 31 and then defeated UAB on Saturday, 5-2.
 
Against the Blazers in its most recent outing, Samford extended its school-record home winning streak to 17-consecutive matches Saturday as the Bulldogs registered a non-conference victory against their cross-town rivals held at the Samford Tennis Center.
 
With the win, Samford upped its record at home to 2-0 this season. The Bulldogs' only losses of the 2015 campaign have come against No. 10 Georgia and No. 63 Wake Forest. Samford's home winning streak is now 17 matches long and dates all the way back to March 23, 2013.
 
In Saturday's home contest against UAB, the Bulldogs jumped out to an early 1-0 lead by taking the doubles point.
 
Samford's combination of Jessica Northcutt and Yasmeen Ebada cruised to a 6-1 victory on court No. 2, while the Bulldogs' pairing of Stephanie N'tcha and Carita Moolman clinched the early point with a 6-4 triumph over the Blazers' Pardis Kianoush and Paula Castro, 6-1. Samford tandem of Northcutt and Ebada now boast a solid 3-1 record on the season.
 
In singles play, all six matches were settled in straight sets.
 
Samford proved to be victorious on courts No. 1, No. 2, No. 3 and No. 6, while UAB earned wins on courts No. 4 and No. 5.
 
The Bulldogs' relative dominance in singles play allowed them to secure Saturday's 5-2 victory over the Blazers. N'tcha earned a 7-6, 6-3 win on court No. 1, while Ebada battled to a 6-3, 7-6 triumph in the No. 2 singles contest and Northcutt breezed to a 6-2, 6-2 win on court No. 3.
 
With her victory, Northcutt improved to 2-1 in singles play this season.
 
On court No. 6, Samford's Moolman remained undefeated in singles with a lopsided 6-0, 6-2 triumph over UAB's Castro. Moolman, the Bulldogs' talented junior from Aranos, Namibia, is now a perfect 2-0 in singles play this year.
 
Samford's Northcutt has already compiled a stellar 5-2 record this year in key early-season matches against No. 10-ranked Georgia, No. 63-ranked Wake Forest, Kennesaw State and UAB.
 
In singles play, the Bulldogs' native of Duluth, Ga., has posted a 2-1 record at the No. 3 position, with her only loss of the season coming on the road against Georgia's No. 83-ranked Silvia Garcia in the opening match of the 2015 ITA Kick Off Weekend. Since then, Northcutt has reeled off consecutive straight-set victories against Kennesaw State's Alexandra Mercado and UAB's Elaine Simon.
         
In doubles play, Northcutt teamed with Ebada to register one of the biggest victories in school history. At the ITA Kick Off Event, Samford's pair defeated Georgia's tandem of Carolina Brinson and Hannah King on court No. 2 to take the doubles point from its No. 10-ranked opponent.
 
By jumping out to an early 1-0 lead against Georgia, Samford took an advantage over a top-10 opponent for the first time in school history.
 
Northcutt and Ebada have combined to register a 3-1 record in doubles play this season with their lone loss of the year coming against No. 63 Wake Forest's combination of Kimmy Guerin and Andrea Retolaza.
 
On Friday, Jacksonville State (1-3) continued its season-opening road trip with a setback to in-state foe South Alabama on Friday on the USA campus.
 
The Gamecocks suffered a 7-0 loss to the Jaguars and fell to 1-3 on the season, while the match was South Alabama's season opener. USA quickly took advantage in the match by defeating Jacksonville State on courts No. 2 and No. 3. The Gamecocks' top doubles pairing of Diana Merceta and Danielle Kerindi posted a solid 7-6(3) win over USA's team of Laura Valkova and Monica Mitta.
 
The Jaguars carried their dominance to singles by winning five of the six matches in straight sets.
 
Jacksonville State's Genevie Ulanday extended USA's Emily Newton to a third-and-deciding set, but fell in a super tiebreaker. Newton claimed the opening set, 6-4, before Ulanday bounced back to force the third set with a 7-6(5) second-set win.
 
The Gamecocks' Olivia Nguyen was ousted 6-3, 6-0 by Valkova at No. 1, while Claudia Marsala dropped a 6-2, 7-5 decision at No. 3. Zoe Bizinos, Merceta and Kerindi all fell in straight sets.
 
Last season, Samford posted a 7-0 triumph over Jacksonville State in a non-conference in-state contest held at the Samford Tennis Center.
 
The Bulldogs swept all nine matches the Gamecocks; three in doubles and six in singles play.
 
The closest matches of the day occurred at No. 1 doubles and No. 1 singles. In the No. 1 doubles contest, the Bulldogs' pairing of Kristin Lewis and N'tcha held off the Gamecocks' combination of Raisa Guasti and Nguyen, 9-8(5).
 
In singles play, it was once again Jacksonville State's Guasti, who nearly knocked off her Samford counterpart. On court No. 1, the Bulldogs' N'tcha rallied back for a hard-fought, three-set triumph over Guasti, 7-6(4), 5-7, 1-0.
 
Following Wednesday's in-state showdown against Jacksonville State, the No. 71-ranked Samford University women's tennis team will next be in action Saturday at noon (CST) as the Bulldogs play host to the No. 28-ranked Auburn Tigers in a critical non-conference duel to be held at the Samford Tennis Center.