WISE, Va. – Finishing up its four-match homestand the UVa-Wise women's tennis team will step back into conference play with a pair of matches against Shepherd University Saturday and Fairmont State University Sunday.
 
The Cavaliers (1-4, 0-2 MEC) will face Mountain East Conference foe Shepherd (1-2, 0-1 MEC) Saturday at 12 p.m. before taking on league opponent Fairmont State (3-2, 0-1 MEC) Sunday at 9 a.m.
 
UVa-Wise is coming off of a narrow 5-4 defeat at the hands of Milligan College Wednesday. The Cavs could not come back after falling behind 3-0 in doubles, despite, winning four out of the six singles matches.
 
Prior to Wednesday's loss, the Cavs went through a tough weekend of facing the top two teams in the MEC. Although UVa-Wise did not claim a team match victory last Saturday and Sunday against West Virginia State and the University of Charleston, the Cavs did battle hard and came away with a win at No. 1 singles.
 
Sophomore Daria Tyshchenko highlighted the match against Charleston last Sunday by pulling an upset the Golden Eagles' Toni Katipa in a third-set 10-point tiebreaker 4-6, 7-6 (3), 10-8. Katipa finished last season ranked 10th in singles in the ITA Atlantic Region.
 
Tyshchenko will try to continue her win streak this weekend after claiming another three-set win against Milligan Wednesday. The sophomore was a 1-6, 6-3, (10-6) winner over the Buffaloes' Rachel Hodas and now holds a 3-2 singles record at the No. 1 position.
 
Shepherd, who was picked to finish sixth in the MEC this year according to the preseason poll, is coming off of an 8-1 home loss to West Liberty in its conference opener this past Sunday. The Rams began their season with a 7-0 loss at NCAA Division I Mount St. Mary's before taking down D-III opponent Lynchburg College 9-0.
 
Fairmont State was picked seventh in the MEC preseason poll and enters this weekend after suffering a 5-4 home loss to NCAA Division III Washington & Jefferson this past Wednesday. The Falcons began the 2015 season with a 3-0 sweep (unfinished) of Waynesburg and a 9-0 shutout against Marietta. Fairmont State began league play last Sunday with a 9-0 home loss to West Virginia Wesleyan before stepping out of the conference to defeat Alderson Broaddus 6-3 in Fairmont this past Tuesday.
 
The Falcons will travel to Athens, West Virginia, to play Concord University Saturday before arriving in Wise for Sunday's match against the Cavs.
 
Following this weekend's matches the Cavs will have a six-day break before traveling to West Liberty, West Virginia, Saturday, Sept. 26, to take on West Liberty in a MEC road match.
 
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