MIAMI, Fla. – The 45^th-ranked FIU women's tennis team gears up for a top-10 matchup fresh off entering the ITA National Rankings, slated to face No. 7 Texas A&M at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Fla., on Friday, Feb. 24.
 
The matchup marks the first between the two programs since 2008, while serving as FIU's second matchup against a top-10 opponent this season.
 
The Panthers won the last matchup on Feb. 23, 2008, in Las Vegas, Nevada, 4-3, as the all-time series record sits at 1-1 overall.
 
The 45^th-ranked Panthers entered the ITA Top 75 National Rankings this week after taking then-No. 21 UCF to the wire last week prior to dominating Air Force for a 4-0 win at the USTA National Campus in Orlando.
 
Freshman Ekaterina Khairutdinova (4-1) paces the Panthers with four dual wins, including a top-50 ranked win, while riding a three-match win streak at the No. 2 position.
 
Junior Salma Loudili (4-2) also holds four straight-set dual wins to match Khairutdinova at the No. 6 position.
 
FIU's doubles tandem of Yasmine Kabbaj and Oyinlomo Quadre have exceled at the No. 2 position, holding a three-match streak at 4-2 together, while Salma Loudili and Katerina Mandelikova have also found their chemistry at the No. 3 position at 3-1.
 
UP NEXT
No. 45 FIU returns to action in Miami, hosting North Texas at the FIU Tennis Courts on Sunday, Feb. 26. First serve is slated for a noon start.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
Fans are encouraged to follow the Panthers on Instagram (@FIUWTENNIS), Twitter (@FIUWTENNIS), and Facebook (Facebook.com\FIUWTN) for all the latest Women's Tennis news.
 
General athletic news can also be found at @FIUSports on Facebook and @FIUAthletics on Twitter and Instagram.