MIAMI (Feb. 6, 2020) - Inclement weather kept the Panthers off the home court last weekend, but hopes are high as the FIU women's tennis team officially kicks off at home against Liberty on Friday, Feb. 7 at 12 p.m. ET. 

The Panthers head into the weekend sporting a 2-1 record with the most recent win over UMKC, after the Panthers dominated the Roo's in a 4-0 sweep. 

SCOUTING THE LADY FLAMES 
The Lady Flames (3-1), currently on a two-match winning streak. The Lady Flames were picked as the conference co-favorites, along with North Florida, in the ASUN Women's Tennis Preseason Coaches Poll. Freshman Micaela Ode Mitre earned ASUN Player of the Week recognition, Wednesday afternoon. The Lima, Peru, native won in the No. 2 doubles slot with partner Tiffany Nguyen and also topped nationally-ranked No. 114 Samantha Choi of Navy, last Saturday in the Lady Flames' 4-3 road victory at Navy.

WHAT RETURNS
FIU is led by junior Sandra Bozinovic and the sophomore duo of Umarova and Akbas. The veteran group led the Panthers to an 11-8 record last season and were 4-1 overall in conference play. FIU built a nine-match win streak during the year, on its way to a quarterfinal appearance at the C-USA Championships.

WHAT'S NEW
The Panthers welcome a crop of four newcomers this season. Marina Alcaide, a junior transfer from VCU, along with three new freshmen; Ashley Vielma, Francisca Vergara and Kristina Miletic are the newest additions to the 2019-20 roster. 

UP NEXT
The Panthers return home on Friday, Feb. 7 to host Liberty at 12:00 p.m. ET on the FIU Tennis Courts. 

SOCIAL MEDIA
Get all the latest information on the team by following @FIUwomnestennis Instagram and @FIUWTennis on Facebook and Twitter. General athletic news can also be found at @FIUSports on Facebook and @FIUAthletics on Twitter and Instagram