PENSACOLA, Fla. – The West Florida Women's Tennis team will make their 24^th straight NCAA Tournament appearance on Saturday when they take on the No. 2 seeded West Alabama. This will be the third matchup between these two Gulf South Conference foes with the Argonauts looking to pick up their first victory over the Tigers when the stakes are the highest.

With a record of 15-5 on the season, the Argonauts enter the South Regional as the No. 7 team in the nation and the No. 3 seed in the tournament. This ranking is bolstered by three ranked wins in the regular season as well as an impressive 9-1 mark in GSC play this season.

As the No. 6 seed in the last South Regional in 2019, West Florida is looking to avoid another first round loss this year and advance through the postseason like they did in the 2018 season.

This year's tournament will be unlike any in the past due to changes made for the health and safety of these student athletes due to COVID-19. Instead of the typical two south regionals, this year will feature one five team field with just the champion advancing to Surprise, Ariz. for the National Championship.

About the Argonauts – West Florida enters Saturday's matchup with bad taste in their mouth after narrowly falling to West Alabama in the GSC Tournament Championship match their last time out. This loss is not how the Argonauts want their season to end so they will look to build on their already successful season with a victory in this regional.

After starting the year slowly in doubles, the Argonauts had kicked it into gear the second half of the regular season. Minus the lone point lost in their last outing, West Florida had won their last ten doubles points to put them ahead going into singles play.

This doubles success is led by Berta Bonardi and her partner Sara Yigin who have gone 13-2 on the season from the No. 1 position which is good enough to see them ranked as the No. 5 pair in the latest ITA rankings. In addition to this pair, Karolina Silwanowicz and Samantha Echevarria have gone 9-1 in their past ten matches and are a great complement to Bonardi and Yigin at the No. 2 position.

In singles, West Florida has gone 77-29 on the season and relies on some big play from the top of their lineup to push them past many opponents.

Bonardi sits atop the Argonauts lineup and has gone 16-2 on the season including win in her last eight matches. Irene Recuenco is West Florida's No. 2 and is 12-5 on the year which is good enough to see her ranked as the No. 29 ranked singles player in the nation. Finally, the Freshman Yigin has been a great player from the No. 3 and No. 4 positions going 14-2 on the year.

About the Tigers – West Alabama enters Saturday's matchup with some great momentum after winning their first ever GSC Tournament Championship a few weekends ago. On the year the Tigers are 17-2 and have picked up wins in their last 12 outings.

In doubles, the Tigers are 38-15 as a team this season and rely on great play from the bottom of their lineup to secure the lone point in many of their matches.

Daryna Hukasian and Hardija Vidnere have been phenomenal for West Alabama from the No. 3 position going 11-1 as a pair on the season. Thea Yang and Heden Ly have played well for the Tigers from the No. 2 position going 4-1 as a pair including a big win over West Florida their last match.

In singles, the Tigers have been dominant from all positions going 84-24 but have been especially good from the bottom half of their lineup where they have only dropped seven matches all season.

Ly from the No. 3 position has gone 16-3 in singles including wins in her last 11 matches. Haina Franco has been playing very well for the Tigers from the No. 2 position winning her last 5 matches. Hukasian dropped her last match but is 16-1 on the season from primarily the No. 4 position.

Updated ITA Rankings – Today the Intercollegiate Tennis Association released updated Team, Singles, and Doubles rankings for Division II. In these updated rankings the Argonauts stayed at No. 7 nationally as a team but did see some movement in the singles and doubles rankings.

Bonardi went from ranked No. 2 in singles to No. 3 in singles in the latest release while Recuenco went from No. 26 to No. 29 in today's rankings.

Weekend Schedule - Saturday's semifinal match with West Alabama is scheduled for 2 PM (CST) from the Ralph "Skeeter" Carson Tennis Complex here in Pensacola. With a win, the Argonauts would advance to the Championship match on Sunday where they would play the winner of the other semifinals match at Noon on Sunday.

Fans will be permitted for this regional tournament; however, prescreening will be required when you arrive at the tennis complex. Fans may not have any physical interaction with the athletes this weekend but are encouraged to come out and cheer them on.

How to Follow the Argos: For complete information on UWF Women's Tennis, follow the team on Twitter and Instagram at @TennisUWF on Twitter and @uwfwomenstennis on Instagram.