THE RUNDOWN
WICHITA FALLS, Texas – Midwestern State topped Northwest Missouri State on Saturday at the MSU Tennis Center, 4-3. The Mustangs picked up their 10th win of the season to move to 10-2 on the year.
 
The Mustangs captured the early momentum with a pair of doubles wins to take a 1-0 lead.
 
The pair of Angel Palacios and Denney Norrie topped Agustin Velasco and Louis Compas, 6-1, at the No. 3 flight to open the match. The third-ranked tandem of Ben Westwick and Alberto Diaz overwhelmed Pedro Pontes and Bjorn Kurtze, 6-4, to clinch the point.
 
MSU Texas split the first four courts before scoring the decisive victory at the No. 5 line.
 
McCaig suffered a 6-4, 6-0 defeat to Velasco at No. 3 to even the match at one, but sophomore Alex Martinez Roca blasted Rahul Manoah, 6-3, 6-3, to regain the lead for MSU Texas, 2-1.
 
After winning the first set, senior Dillon Pineda was unable to keep his momentum rolling, allowing Fabien Caloud to slip away with a three-set win, 3-6, 6-0, 6-3, to pull the match even at two.
 
In a top-15 matchup at the No. 1 flight, fifth-ranked Palacios outlasted 13^th-ranked Franco Oliva, 7-5, 6-3, to put MSU Texas within a point of clinching.
 
Diaz secured the win for the Mustangs, storming back from a 5-4 second-set deficit to upend Compas, 6-3, 7-5.
 
Westwick suffered a super-set tiebreaking loss at the No. 6 flight to Kurtze, 7-6, 5-7, 1-0 (6), to close out the match.
 
BOX SCORE
#16 Midwestern State (10-2) def. Northwest Missouri State (6-6)
Sat. March 24, 2019 | 1 p.m.
Wichita Falls, Texas
MSU Tennis Center
 
Doubles
No. 1 – #3 Ben Westwick/Alberto Diaz (MSU) def. Pedro Pontes/Bjorn Kurtze (NWMSU) 6-4
No. 2 – Franco Oliva/Fabien Calloud (NWMSU) def. Nolan McCaig/Dillon Pineda (MSU) 6-4
No. 3 – Angel Palacios/Denney Norrie (MSU) def. Agustin Velasco/Louis Compas (NWMSU) 6-1
 
Singles
No. 1 – #5 Angel Palacios (MSU) def. #13 Franco Oliva (NWMSU) 7-5, 6-2
No. 2 – Fabien Calloud (NWMSU) def. Dillon Pineda (MSU) 3-6, 6-0, 6-3
No. 3 – Agustin Velasco (NWMSU) def. Nolan McCaig (MSU) 6-4, 6-0
No. 4 – Alex Martinez Roca (MSU) def. Rahul Manoah (NWMSU) 6-3, 6-3
No. 5 – Alberto Diaz (MSU) def. Louis Compas (NWMSU) 6-3, 7-5
No. 6 – Bjorn Kurtze (NWMSU) def. Ben Westwick (MSU) 7-6, 5-7, 1-0 (6)
 
Order of finish: Doubles (3, 1, 2); Singles (3, 4, 2, 1, 5, 6)

UP NEXT
MSU Texas returns to the MSU Tennis Center on Friday against St. Edward's. First serve is slated for noon.