Midwestern State vs McMurry

Friday, Jan. 28 – 1 p.m.
MSU Tennis Center (Wichita Falls, Texas)
All-Time Series: MSU leads 19-1

WICHITA FALLS, Texas -- Midwestern State jump starts the 2022 season this week after completing a stellar fall season. The Mustangs and McMurry meet at MSU Tennis Center on Friday, Jan. 28 to kick-start the year. First serve is set for 1 p.m.

SCOUTING THE WARHAWKS

The American Southwest Conference (ASC) picked McMurry men's tennis to a West Division fourth-place finish in the preseason poll. The team earned 29 points based on their 7-10 overall record from 2021. In conference play last season, the Warhawks concluded at 3-2.

Senior Chase Daniell was the only Warhawk named to the Preseason Players to Watch list. In his junior year, he made an appearance at the NCAA Division III Men's Tennis Championships over the summer with his former doubles partner. The pair ranked first in the conference at the No. 1 doubles spot with a 15-2 overall record. The duo also earned all-conference honors after posting a 5-0 ASC record and leading the team to the semifinal at the league championships. Daniell recorded 36 doubles wins over his career and needs three more to inch into the program's top 10 list.

Back from last season is fellow senior Connor Hogan while juniors Reid Smith, Nicholas Settles, Jason Cabe and Dylan Bryant also make a return. McMurry adds three freshman to the mix in Jonathan Arzuaga-Portuges (Bryon Nelson HS), Ty Edwards (Brackett HS), Trent Lewis (Borden County ISD) and Kyle Smith (Davis HS).

ABOUT THE MUSTANGS

In the fall, Midwestern State had a number of players find a spot in the ITA NCAA Division II rankings. Alex Martinez Roca and Ben Westwick rolled to an 11-2 record during the semester, in which they claimed an ITA South Central Region title before claiming two wins at the ITA Cup. The duo earned a No. 4 in the final ITA NCAA Division II Doubles Rankings and topped the ITA South Central Region doubles' rankings.

Martinez Roca, who became the first player in program history to earn an ITA Cup berth in both singles and doubles play in the same season, also gained a No. 15 single ranking. The senior from Castelldefels, Spain worked his way to a 9-5 record during the fall reaching the semifinal round of the ITA South Central Region Championship. That was good enough to earn an at-large singles bid into the ITA Cup where he reached the semifinal round before falling to North Georgia's Joaquin Benoit in split sets.

MSU newcomer Stefan Andrei earned an ITA singles' ranking of 50th after racking up an 8-5 record advancing to the quarterfinal round of the ITA South Central Region Championship. Martinez Roca and Andrei rated third and fifth, respectively, in the ITA South Central Region Rankings, while sophomore Brice Bradshaw checked in at 19th.

Also returning for the Mustangs are senior Jean Muniz and redshirt-sophomore Quentin Scharfenberg. Senior transfer Brandon Wall and junior transfer Charles Heffernan find a place in the mix. Besides Andrei, freshmen Matthew Abbey, Corbin Ford, Marcal Miret Avante and Stephen Slocombe are new faces to MSU Texas.

THE MAN IN CHARGE

Scott Linn enters his 12th season at the helm of the Midwestern State men's and women's tennis programs in 2021-22 after guiding the Mustangs to 17 NCAA Tournament appearances since arriving in Wichita Falls in the fall of 2010. The Mustangs have thrived under Linn's leadership as he revived the program to the highest level. Under Linn, the men's program posted a 169-83 (.671) mark with seven NCAA Tournament appearances while advancing to the national quarterfinals in 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018 and 2019 after a five-year absence from the postseason.

ABOUT THE SERIES

Beginning in 1988, the series between Midwestern State and McMurry is strong after 34 years. The Mustangs own an outstanding 19-1 record with the only drop coming in 1990 in Abilene, Texas. Since then, MSU Texas rides a 14-match win streak while completing shutouts for the last three meets. The Warhawks last saw the Mustangs in 2020 where Midwestern State walked away with a 7-0 victory in Abilene. MSU holds a 10-0 perfect home record against McM.

UP NEXT

Midwestern State will stay in Wichita Falls, Texas, through mid-February with a full slate of matches against community colleges and junior colleges. First up is Seward County Community College on Feb. 3. The Mustangs host the Saints at MSU Tennis Center at 1 p.m.