MIAMI (April 1, 2021) - The FIU women's tennis team hosts its final two home matches of the season this weekend, as the Panthers welcome the 28th-ranked Rice Owls and the USF Bulls to Miami. 

FIU will take on Rice at Noon on Friday, before closing out the 2021 home slate on Sunday at Noon against USF. Friday's match against the Owls will serve as Senior Day for Marina Alcaide. 

PANTHERS HOT STREAK
FIU enters the weekend with a 7-0 record overall, earning the best start in program history since 1994. The Panthers are 2-0 in C-USA action, having won at WKU and Middle Tennessee last time out. 

FIU has a trio of Panthers undefeated in singles play, with Kamila Umarova (6-0), Marina Alcaide (7-0) and Andreea Velcea (7-0) leading the way. In doubles action, FIU's pair of Umarova and Basak Akbas have gone 4-1 on the season and 1-1 in conference play. 

SCOUTING RICE/USF
No. 28 Rice sits at 11-3 overall and 2-0 in C-USA play. Last time out, the Owls lost to No. 2 Texas on the road, snapping a nine-match winning streak. Linda Huang, who is ranked 67th overall in singles play, is 5-3 overall and 2-0 in dual matches. Huang's two dual wins have come at the No. 5 and No. 6 spot in the lineup. 

USF sits at 7-10 on the season, and has gone 2-5 in their last seven matches. 

UP NEXT
After the home weekend finale, the Panthers will travel to No. 16 UCF on Saturday, April 10, to cap the regular season before the C-USA Championships begin on April 22-25. 

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