Midwestern State vs McMurry

Friday, Jan. 28 – 1 p.m.
MSU Tennis Center (Wichita Falls, Texas)
All-Time Series: MSU leads 11-5

WICHITA FALLS, Texas -- Midwestern State kicks off the 2022 season Friday afternoon against McMurry. First serve at the MSU Tennis Center is set for 1 p.m.

SCOUTING THE WARHAWKS

The American Southwest Conference (ASC) picked McMurry women's tennis to a West Division fourth-place finish in the preseason poll. The team earned 39 points based on their 7-8 overall record from 2021. In conference play last season, the Warhawks concluded at 3-1.

Junior Hope Turner and sophomore Hannah DeFriend were nominated to the ASC Preseason Players to Watch list. Turner earned first team all-division and all-conference last season at the No. 5 singles spot. She and her doubles partner also grabbed the No. 1 doubles team in the West Division on a 4-2 conference record. The  Wills Point, Texas, native secured a 8-3 victory at No. 2 doubles and a 6-3, 4-6(7) win at No. 1 singles in the team's fall match against Texas Lutheran University.

DeFriend earned all-division at No. 2 doubles by going 4-2 in conference play. The duo won three matches before falling in the American Southwest Conference semifinals last year. On Sept. 18, 2021, the Groesbeck, Texas, product earned an 8-4 win at No. 1 doubles and a 6-2, 6-1 victory at the third singles flight against Texas Lutheran.

The Warhawks added four freshman to the squad, including McKenzie Carroll (Groesbeck HS), Nelsa Hopper (Clyde HS), Kaylin Parker (Livingston HS) and Andrea Smith (Groesbeck HS).

ABOUT THE MUSTANGS

Midwestern State ranked 22nd in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Preseason Poll released last week. The Mustangs return six student-athletes off last year's team, which posted a 12-8 record while advancing to the NCAA Division II postseason for the eighth consecutive season.

The returners include juniors Casie Curry and Ethne Dowling as well as sophomores Anda Ghinga, Skylar Minns, Kyndall Quiroz and Emilija Visic. The team added three talented freshman including Kanaha Furutani, Sydney Williams and Hannah Yip.

MSU placed four in the ITA Division II South Central Region singles rankings while one pair found their way in the doubles list. Yip led the way at No. 7 followed by Ghinga at No. 9, Quiroz at No. 19 and Visic at No. 20. Ghinga and Quiroz combined for a No. 9 regional doubles' ranking

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. Linn has directed the women's program to a 184-81 (.694) in his first eleven seasons on campus with nine NCAA Division II postseason appearances, reaching the round of 16 in 2013, 2014, 2018 and 2019 while making trips to the NCAA quarterfinals in 2015 and 2017.

ABOUT THE SERIES

Beginning in 1988, the series between Midwestern State and McMurry is strong after 34 years. The Mustangs own an 11-5 advantage over the Warhawks with an eight-match win streak over the past 27 years. MSU has not allowed a point by McM since 1996. Midwestern State is 5-2 against McMurry at the MSU Tennis Center with the last loss coming in 1993. The squad tallied a 9-0 victory the last time the two schools met in Wichita Falls, Texas, in 2013.

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 Lady Saints at MSU Tennis Center at 1 p.m.