BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford women's tennis team will host the Mercer Bears in the team's Southern Conference opener Thursday at 2 p.m. at the Samford Tennis Center. The team will then host Chattanooga Saturday at 11 a.m.

Samford enters the week with a record of 6-7. The Bulldogs are coming off a 5-2 loss at College of Charleston last Thursday. Samford is 6-2 in home matches so far this season.

Seniors Ellie Gerlach and Roos van der Zwaan have held down the No. 1 and No. 2 singles spots so far for the Bulldogs. Gerlach is 4-8 (2-4 at No. 1, 2-4 at No. 2), while van der Zwaan is 5-8 (3-4 at No. 1, 2-4 at No. 2).

Holly Horsfall is 7-4 (6-4 at No. 3, 1-0 at No. 4). Elsa Pool has a record of 6-6 (1-0 at No. 3, 5-6 at No. 4). Arianna Beltrame has a mark of 6-2 (3-2 at No. 5, 3-0 at No. 6). Grace Jennings has a record of 6-3 (3-1 at No. 5, 3-2 at No. 6), while Amanda Kilduff is 1-0 at No. 6.

Mercer has a mark of 7-8 overall and 0-2 in SoCon matches. The Bears are coming off back-to-back SoCon losses, 5-2 against ETSU and 6-1 against Furman. Mercer will play at UAB Wednesday before coming over to Samford Thursday.

Chattanooga is currently 6-4 overall and 2-0 in league matches. The Mocs have opened SoCon play with a 4-3 win over ETSU and a 5-2 triumph over Wofford.

Thursday's match is scheduled for a 2 p.m. start from the Samford Tennis Center, while Saturday's match will begin at 11 a.m. Admission to both matches is FREE!