WICHITA FALLS, Texas – Midwestern State began Lone Star Conference play in dominant fashion Tuesday with a 9-0 sweep of No. 43 Tarleton State at the MSU Tennis Center.

Midwestern State (5-1) earned its second-straight win over a nationally-ranked opponent while pushing its win streak to nine matches against the TexAnns (6-3).

Juniors Amy Clifton and Daria Panferova highlighted the Mustangs in doubles play, erasing an early deficit to take down Tarleton State's 10th-ranked team in the region of Elena Preadca and Luiza Ferraro-Adas on court one, 8-4. The tandem of freshman Bianca Duff and sophomore Maddy Coffman improved to 6-0 on the season at No. 2 while sophomore Greta Lazzarotto and freshman Ashley Ramirez also remained perfect at 6-0 at No. 3 doubles.

The Mustangs earned straight-set victories on five of six courts in singles. Sophomore Eirini Kontaki began with a 6-0, 6-1 win over Tori Simmons at No. 4 before the 19th-ranked Duff cruised to a 6-0, 6-0 defeat of Preadca on court three for the clincher.

Panferova and Clifton came away with straight-set wins at the top of the lineup while Coffman rallied from a first set defeat to earn a 2-6, 6-0, 11-9 victory over the region's No. 9 Ashleigh Eldward at No. 5. Lazzarotto concluded the sweep with a 6-4, 7-5 win over Ferraro-Adas on court six.

Midwestern State recorded just its second 9-0 sweep of rival Tarleton in program history, last doing so on Feb. 8, 2003 in Wichita Falls. The sweep was the fourth against the TexAnns with 5-0 victories coming at the LSC Tournament in 2014 and 2015.

Midwestern State begins a four-match road swing over spring break next week with matches against No. 14 Valdosta State (Ga.) and Abraham Baldwin (Ga.) in Valdosta while facing No. 7 West Florida and No. 19 Georgia College in Pensacola, Fla., Mar. 15-18.


#21 Midwestern State 9, #43 Tarleton State 0
Mar. 7, 2017 at Wichita Falls, Texas (MSU Tennis Center)

Singles Competition
1. Daria Panferova (MSU) def. Erika Johnston (TSU) 6-2, 6-3
2. Amy Clifton (MSU) def. Alicia Barbaroux (TSU) 6-0, 7-5
3. #19 Bianca Duff (MSU) def. Elena Preadca (TSU) 6-0, 6-0
4. Eirini Kontaki (MSU) def. Tori Simmons (TSU) 6-0, 6-1
5. Maddy Coffman (MSU) def. Ashleigh Elward (TSU) 2-6, 6-0, 11-9
6. Greta Lazzarotto (MSU) def. Luiza Ferraro-Adas (TSU) 6-4, 7-5

Doubles Competition
1. Daria Panferova/Amy Clifton (MSU) def. Elena Preadca/Luiza Ferraro-Adas (TSU) 8-4
2. Bianca Duff/Maddy Coffman (MSU) def. Erika Johnston/Ashleigh Elward (TSU) 8-6
3. Greta Lazzarotto/Ashley Ramirez (MSU) def. Alicia Barbaroux/Tori Simmons (TSU) 8-5
 
Match Notes:
Tarleton State 6-3; National ranking #43; Regional ranking #6
Midwestern State 5-1; National ranking #21; Regional ranking #3
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (4,3,2,1,5,6)