Sophomore Julianne Prokopich

NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, N.Y. – With a winning streak on the line, the Niagara University women’s tennis team hosts Siena College and Marist College this weekend. The Siena match is at 6 p.m. Saturday and the Marist match is at 4 p.m. Sunday. Both matches are at Sportsplex in Tonawanda.

The Purple Eagles have a 27-match Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference regular-season winning streak that dates back to 2001. The last time Niagara lost a regular season match was Oct. 8, 2001.

This season, Niagara is 8-7 overall, is undefeated at 4-0 in the MAAC and has won four of its last five matches. In their last outing, the Purple Eagles beat Fairfield, 6-1.

Senior Mariam Al-Shikarchy, the Niagara Athlete of the Week, sports a four-match winning streak at No. 1 singles. She is 15-5 overall, 11-3 in dual matches and one of six players undefeated in league action (4-0). Al-Shikarchy She has never lost a MAAC singles match in her career and has a 27-0 record after the Fairfield win.

Al-Shikarchy pairs with longtime doubles partner Danielle Greiner at No. 1 doubles. The duo is 16-2 overall, 11-1 in dual matches and 4-0 in the MAAC. The tandem also sports a five-match winning streak.

Sophomore Jacquelyn Cary has a four-match winning streak. She is 10-6 overall, 8-6 in dual matches, including 7-3 at No. 4, and 4-0 in the conference. Cary and classmate Julianne Prokopich are 11-7 overall, 9-4 in dual matches and 4-0 in the MAAC at No. 2 doubles.

Siena enters the match with a 7-4 overall record and 2-1 mark in the league. The Saints are coming off a 6-1 win over Saint Peter’s last weekend. Last year, Niagara defeated Siena in the regular-season finale, 6-1, in Loudonville.

Marist is the other hot team in the MAAC this year. The Red Foxes own a six-match winning streak and are 9-3 overall and 4-0 in the conference. They are coming into Sunday’s match after a 6-0 win at Hartford on Wednesday.

In last year’s meeting in Poughkeepsie, Cary won a three-set match over junior Courtney McGeever, 6-4, 1-6, 6-3, at No. 6 singles to help beat Marist, 4-3.