FAIRFAX, Va. – Fresh off of a momentum-building 2018 fall season, the George Mason University women's tennis team begins its 2019 spring dual season Saturday with a match vs. Mary Washington.

First serve at the Burke Tennis and Racquet Club is set for 6 p.m.
 
The Patriots (3-1) feature a talented roster and will call upon a number of promising young student-athletes to lay the foundation for the continued growth of the Patriot program.
 
"We're eager to begin the spring season because our depth is better than it ever has been," head coach Steve Curtis said. "We had our best ITA results in over 10 years this fall and we're looking forward to continuing that momentum in 2019. We're a young team with only two seniors and a junior out of our 10 players, so it's exciting that we're building a strong foundation for the future. Our freshman class is very talented and will make an immediate impact this spring."
 
Mason's fall season peaked with a tremendous showing at the ITA Fall Regional in Lynchburg. At that event, the No. 1 doubles tandem of senior Sydney Green and sophomore Brianna Gibbs captured a Power 5 victory and nearly knocked off the No. 22 team in the country. In their Friday Round of 64 victory over Penn State's team of Gabby O'Gorman and Chelsea Sawyer, Mason's dynamic duo converted the big points necessary to complete a victory over a Power 5 pairing of that caliber. In a back and forth match that ultimately went to a tiebreaker, Mason prevailed 7-5 in the extra points to wrap up the 8-7 win.
 
In the next round on Saturday, the Green & Gold took on the nation's 22nd-ranked doubles team – Eva Alexandrova and Millie Stretton from Maryland. The Patriots again went back and forth with the elite Terrapin unit and came close to forcing a tiebreak in the match with a pair of opportunities. Mason ultimately fell, 8-6, but put forth an excellent performance against a ranked opponent.
 
Green will again command the No. 1 singles position in a culminating season for the senior after posting a 6-1 record this fall. Gibbs will take on the No. 2 position for the second-straight year, providing consistency at the top which should benefit the young Patriots.
 
One other lineup carry over from 2018 will be sophomore Hannah Yang commanding the No. 3 singles position. Yang claimed 11 singles victories last season, including a pair of important A-10 wins at No. 3.
 
In doubles, in addition to Green and Gibbs, the duo of junior Rachel Lee and sophomore Hannah Yang will team up once more in 2019. The duo went 3-0 together during the fall season.
 
A pair of freshmen also have made an impact together in doubles and is expected to carry that momentum into the spring. Jackie Nannery and Hannah Harrod will play together often after playing six matches as a duo in the fall.
 
At spots No. 4-6, Coach Curtis will have the benefit of that depth which should provide the opportunity to showcase versatility and take advantage of matchups. Sophomore Christine McCarthy went 5-1 during the fall season, while Kayleigh Hahn will also look to increase her role as a sophomore. Lee was a key component of Mason's singles attack last season.
 
Freshman Marium Raza gained valuable experience in the fall while capturing a pair of singles and doubles wins. Senior Lauren Dupuis also will return for the spring after going 4-1 in singles in 2017-18.
 
 After Saturday, Mason will host Christopher Newport and Washington & Lee at the James River Country Club on Feb. 15.

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