The Clark Atlanta University Lady Panthers tennis team will look to turn around a slow start to the 2022 season when they dive into conference play in hosting the Southern intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tennis Round Up beginning today.

The Round Up will see SIAC men's and women's teams play each other as the start to the conference season.  It will be held at the South Fulton Tennis Center in College Park, Ga., where admission is free.

"It's exciting to be hosting the Round Up since we haven't had it here in a quite a few years," said Clark Atlanta Head Coach Tara Turner.  "So, we're very excited about that."
Injuries have been the story of the first portion of the season for the Lady Panthers who have dropped their first four matches.  Keynon Thompkins is still recuperating from a season-ending injury last season while Miyanda Wynn and Nicola Ramdyhan have suffered injuries this season.

"We actually do not have a full lineup due to injuries," Turner said. "We only have four out of the six players that we were supposed to be competing with.  We start down two matches and it only takes four to win."

Lefties Madison Moffatt and Shani Idlette are playing in the No. 1 and No. 2 singles positions. Kristen Blount and Shereese Henry round out the hard-working four.  Turner has also been moving pieces around in her doubles lineups with the four.

"We are struggling with injuries, but we are going to do the best we can," she said.

it's a busy, three-day schedule for the Lady Panthers who will play eight matches over the next three days, beginning with Savannah State at 8 a.m. on Thursday morning.  They then play Tuskegee at 10 a.m., Fort Valley State at noon and then Lane at 2 p.m.  Friday they play Spring Hill at 8 a.m., Benedict at noon, and LeMoyne-Owen at 2 p.m.  Saturday they play Albany State at 10 a.m. 

Turner said every team is at a point in the season where they are looking to get on firm footing as the first full conference season since 2019 gets into full swing.  She said attendees will see some strong tennis over the next three days.

"They are going to see players working hard, playing tennis to the best of their abilities and trying to pull out matches," Turner said.