GREENVILLE, S.C.-- The Furman men and women's tennis teams will begin the 2003 dual match season this weekend against a slate of difficult opponents. The 58th ranked women will stay at home to face the third-ranked Georgia Bulldogs on Friday and the Illinois State Redbirds on Saturday, while the 71st ranked men will travel to Gainesville, Fla. to face the No. 5 ranked Florida Gators on Saturday.

The women return six players from a team that captured the 2002 Southern Conference regular season and tournament titles, won a first round NCAA Tournament match against LSU, and finished 2002 ranked 46th in the country. The men, who finished the 2002 season ranked No. 68 in the nation, are coming off a 15-13 year during which the Paladins won the Southern Conference regular season championship with a perfect 10-0 mark.

The Lady Paladins' match against Georgia is slated for a 5:00 p.m. start on Friday at Mickel Tennis Center. Furman will then return on Saturday to face Illinois State at 1:00 p.m. Georgia and Illinois State will square off on Sunday at 11:00 a.m.

The Furman men's team, meanwhile, will face Florida at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday.