HAMMOND – The Southeastern Louisiana tennis team will be looking to earn its fourth trip to the NCAA Tournament when it competes in the Southland Conference Tournament, which runs Friday through Sunday at the Beaumont Municipal Tennis Center in Beaumont, Texas.
 
The Lions (21-2) will be the top seed in the tournament after winning their fourth Southland Conference regular season title in school history. Southeastern will open tournament play on Friday, facing Central Arkansas (12-13). Should they get past UCA, the Lions will take on either Northwestern State or Stephen F. Austin on Saturday. The semifinal winners will meet on Sunday in the tournament final with an NCAA Tournament berth on the line. First serve for all Southeastern's matches is at 2 p.m.
 
2013 has marked an amazing turnaround for the Lions, who finished 1-10 a year ago in Southland Conference play. Head coach Jason Hayes was named the Southland Conference Coach of the Year for the league-record tying fourth time in his career on Wednesday for orchestrating the turnaround, while freshman Renee Villarreal, junior Valya Rusakova and senior Isabel Brito were named to the All-Southland Conference teams.
 
Southeastern heads into the tournament on a seven-match win streak, thanks in large part to its play throughout the singles lineup. Villarreal paces the team with a perfect 21-0 singles mark and is one of five players with double-digit singles victories this spring, along with freshman Reginka Nychytailova (16-7), Brito (15-2), Rusakova (15-5) and freshman Nastya Tokareva (14-7). Sophomore Morgane Charpenne (6-2) has won four straight singles matches since being reinserted into the singles lineup.
 
In doubles play, Castillo and sophomore Adriana Castillo have posted a team-best 16-3 doubles record this season. The duo's win total represents the fourth-highest singles season doubles win total in school history.
 
UCA heads into the tournament with some momentum after closing the regular season with a 6-1 win over Stephen F. Austin. Sophomore Allison Murphy (14-10) and freshman Krizia Buck (13-11) boast the Bears' top singles records. In doubles play, freshman Anna Buyukyan and sophomore Kristina Horsikyan have posted a team-best 17-6 record this spring.
 
In the regular season meeting between the two schools, Southeastern earned a 6-1 victory in Conway, Ark. The Lions swept through doubles and won five singles matches on the day.
 
Should Southeastern win the tournament, the Lions will return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2007. Under Hayes' direction, Southeastern earned spots in the national tournament in 2005, 2006 and 2007.
 
2013 Southland Conference Women's Tennis Tournament
April 26-28, Beaumont, Texas, Beaumont Municipal Tennis Center
 
Friday, April 26 – First Round
Match 1 – No. 3 Lamar vs. No. 6 Sam Houston State – 11 a.m.
Match 2 – No. 2 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi vs. No. 7 McNeese State – 11 a.m.
Match 3 – No. 1 Southeastern Louisiana vs. No. 8 Central Arkansas – 2 p.m.
Match 4 – No. Northwestern State vs. No. 5 Stephen F. Austin – 2 p.m.
 
Saturday, April 27 – Semifinals
Match 5 – Match 1 winner vs. Match 2 winner – 11 a.m.
Match 6 – Match 3 winner vs. Match 4 winner – 2 p.m.
 
Sunday, April 28 – Finals
Championship – Semifinal Winners – 2 p.m.