LAKE CHARLES – Sophomore netter Sarah Jurakova will have plenty of confidence headed into Wednesday's home opener against UL-Lafayette as she has been named the Southland Conference Women's Tennis Player of the Week presented by UniversalCoin.com, as announced by the league office on Tuesday.
 
The honor is the second consecutive for the Cowgirl tennis squad after freshman Giovanna Fioretti was recognized for her performance on the court last week. Jurakova earns her first player of the week honor since joining McNeese last season.
 
Jurakova's performance over the weekend helped her team secure a dominating 6-1 victory over Sun Belt member Texas State last weekend. The sophomore netter notched her 12th consecutive singles victory, dating back to 2015, with a 6-2, 6-0 dominating effort over Texas State's Anan Perez last weekend. Jurakova began the contest with a 6-3 doubles win, with partner Hannah Brett, that helped lead the Cowgirls to their second consecutive win over a mid-major conference opponent.
 
Jurakova will return to the lineup on Wednesday as the Cowgirls (2-1) face off against rival UL-Lafayette in their home opener. McNeese returns to the confines of the Nancy Hank Tennis Center after spending the last two weeks on the road with wins coming against Texas Rio Grande Valley and Texas State.
 
The Cajuns (2-0) are off to a dominating start on the year with a 6-1 victory over Incarnate Word and a shutout at Prairie View A&M. ULL returns eight letterwinners from last year's squad that reached the Sun Belt Tournament.
 
McNeese won last year's meeting against the Cajuns, 4-0, in Lafayette.
 
Following the match on Wednesday, the Cowgirls will hit the road to Dallas for matches against SMU and Middle Tennessee.