BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The Samford University women's tennis team will compete in its final home match of the 2015 season Saturday at 10 a.m. (CDT) as the Bulldogs welcome the ETSU Buccaneers to the Samford Tennis Center for the first time in school history.
 
Samford (9-7, 3-0 SoCon) heads into the showdown boasting its longest winning streak of the 2015 campaign. Since dropping a hard-fought 4-1 decision to Tulane on March 14, the Bulldogs have rattled off consecutive victories against UMass, 4-3, Furman, 5-2, Wofford, 7-0, and Mercer, 6-1.
 
THE LAST TIME OUT
On Wednesday, Samford remained perfect in SoCon play this season as the Bulldogs rolled to a dominant 6-1 road victory against the Mercer Bears in a key early-league contest held at the Leroy Peddy Tennis Center.
 
Samford breezed to an early 1-0 lead over Mercer by cruising to the doubles point.
 
On court No. 1, the Bulldogs' 65^th-ranked doubles combination of Stephanie N'tcha and Carita Moolman topped Mercer's Grace Korta and Roxy Bartz, 8-2, while the Bulldogs' No. 2 tandem of Yasmeen Ebada and Jessica Northcutt cruised to a similar 8-2 decision.
 
In the No. 3 doubles competition, Samford's pairing of Savannah Wood and AnnMarie Lyon registered a decisive 8-4 decision against the Bears' tandem of Laura Kelly and Liza Klyachkin.
 
Already this season, the Bulldogs' N'tcha and Moolman boast an 11-3 record on court No. 1, while Ebada and Northcutt own a solid 10-3 mark at No. 2.

Samford breezed to five, straight-set singles victories against Mercer. The Bulldogs' N'tcha, Ebada, Moolman, Iva Parapunova and Wood were all triumphant against their Bear counterparts as Samford tallied its 6-1 team win.
 
With their victories, the Bulldogs' Moolman and N'tcha both reached the 10-win plateau in singles play this season. Moolman holds a 10-3 dual-match record in 2015, while N'tcha boasts a 10-5 mark on court No. 1.
 
Additionally, Samford's Wood extended her winning streak to four-consecutive matches with a lopsided 6-2, 6-1 victory over Kelly on court No. 6.
 
SCOUTING THE COMPETITION
ETSU (10-4, 3-1 SoCon) enters Saturday's matchup with aspirations of bouncing back from a difficult 4-3 home loss to Chattanooga on Thursday. The Buccaneers' hard-fought setback snapped their four-match winning streak and proved to be ETSU's first defeat since falling to Charleston Southern on March 10, 4-3.
 
On Thursday against Chattanooga, ETSU came from behind to win at both No. 2 and No. 3 doubles to take an early 1-0 advantage in the match.
 
At the No. 2 position, Jessica Brumit and Regina Nychytailova defeated Kaylene Chadwell and Kelsey Coots, 8-7 (4). Meanwhile, at No. 3, Ioanna Markesini and Melissa Esguerra earned an 8-7 (3) victory over the Mocs' Claire Mulyadi and Katie Polk.
 
ETSU extended its match lead to 3-0 with straight-set singles wins by Nychytailova and Markesini at the No. 2 and No. 5 positions, respectively.
 
Markesini's win at No. 5 singles marked her team-best, fifth-consecutive win in singles play.
 
It was then that the Mocs started their comeback by rattling off four-consecutive victories — each in three sets — to clinch the narrow 4-3 triumph.
 
Chattanooga's Kayla Jones became the first player since Feb. 14 to defeat ETSU's Lyn Yee Choo, snapping Choo's seven-match singles win streak.
 
SAMFORD SENIORS TO BE HONORED SATURDAY
The Samford athletic department will honor and thank the Bulldogs' three seniors Saturday. Samford's 2015 seniors have all played major roles in the team's successes over the last four seasons and will be well remembered in Bulldog tennis history.
 
Since stepping foot on campus, these three Samford athletes have helped guide their team to a brilliant 54-31 overall record, including a remarkable 21-12 mark against SoCon opponents.
 

YASMEEN EBADA
Ebada joined the team in 2013 and immediately made a positive impact in the Bulldogs' starting lineup. A native of Cairo, Egypt, her feisty demeanor and competitive spirit has helped Samford to a near-perfect 11-1 record in SoCon play.
 
As a junior, Ebada played at the No. 3 singles position and rattled off a jaw-dropping 20-1 mark against dual-match opponents. She also compiled an 18-4 record in doubles and earned Second-Team All-SoCon honors in 2014. Already this season, Ebada has tallied nine victories at the No. 2 singles position and has notched a 10-3 mark in doubles play along with teammate Jessica Northcutt.
 
On March 12, 2014, Ebada was named the SoCon Player of the Week for a second straight week as she turned in an unblemished 4-0 record in both singles and doubles play.
 

ANNMARIE LYON
Lyon has been a member of some of the most successful Samford tennis teams in program history. She became a Bulldog in 2011 and immediately advanced to the semifinal round of the Singles B Draw at the USTA-ITA Southern Regional Championships by defeating both Samya ElHsissen of Troy and Elaine Simon of UAB.
 
That season, Samford compiled a brilliant 15-6 overall record and reached the quarterfinal round of the SoCon Tournament. In 2013, Lyon solidified a position in the Bulldogs' starting lineup and registered seven singles wins, as well as a pair of key doubles victories.
 
Not to be outdone, as a junior, Samford reeled off a school-record 20 dual-match wins and advanced to the championship contest of the SoCon Championship while Lyon finished undefeated in doubles play.
 
STEPHANIE N'TCHA
N'tcha will go down in Samford lore as one of the most decorated tennis players in school history. A three-time All-SoCon performer, she was ranked as high as No. 72 in the nation in singles play and is currently ranked No. 65 in the country in doubles.
 
As a freshman in 2012, N'tcha compiled a 13-6 record in singles and turned in a 5-3 SoCon mark en route to all-freshman honors. She also finished 13-4 in doubles play and notched a stellar 8-1 record against SoCon opponents. As a sophomore, N'tcha boasted a perfect 6-0 record at the No. 3 singles position before earning an 18-4 mark last season, while leading Samford to a near-perfect 20-3 overall record.

 
For her efforts, N'tcha earned First-Team All-SoCon honors in both singles and doubles play as a junior. So far this season, she has compiled a crucial 10-5 record in singles play, an 11-3 mark in doubles and has been named the SoCon Player of the Week twice.
 
COMING UP NEXT
Following Saturday's Senior Day showdown against ETSU, the Samford University women's tennis team will next be in action Wednesday at 2 p.m. (CDT) as the Bulldogs begin their four-match, regular-season ending road trip versus the Troy Trojans in an in-state contest slated to be held at the Lunsford Tennis Complex.