Midwestern State vs Cowley County CC

Wednesday, March 2 – 1 p.m.
MSU Tennis Center (Wichita Falls, Texas)
All-Time Series: MSU leads 5-0

WICHITA FALLS, Texas – Midwestern State is back in action this week at MSU Tennis Center. The Mustangs take on Cowley County Community College on Wednesday, March 2. The match was originally scheduled for Feb. 23, but was moved due to weather conditions. First serve is set for 1 p.m.

ABOUT THE MUSTANGS

The Mustangs have just three matches under their belt after a slew of reschedules due to weather. The team is 2-1 with 7-0 wins over McMurry and Oklahoma Wesleyan. MSU's only loss was a close 3-4 against the top NJCAA school, Tyler Junior College.

No. 15 Alex Martinez Roca clinched his only singles battle of the season in three sets against TJC at the No.1 spot. He ranks third in the South Central Region singles. The senior and doubles partner, Ben Westwick, rank fourth in the nation. The duo is undefeated at the first line for the season.

No. 50 Stefan Andrei is 2-1 from the second, third and fourth singles spots. The freshman collected a No. 2 and No. 3 victory against McMurry and Oklahoma Wesleyan. Andrei's only drop was in three sets at No. 4 to Tyler Junior College's Alvaro Saint Martin. He currently ranks at No. 5 in the South Central Region.

He and Brice Bradshaw are 2-0 from the second doubles line. The pair notched back-to-back victories against TJC and OWU last week. Bradshaw also claimed a 6-2 win with Marcal Miret Avante against McMurry duo, Connor Hogan and Dylan Bryant.

Bradshaw is 2-1 on the singles side, playing from the first three spots. The sophomore tallied wins at the No. 1 and No. 2 positions against McMurry and Oklahoma Wesleyan. His only loss was at No. 3 against Tyler Junior College. Bradshaw ranks at No. 19 for the South Central Region.

Senior Jean Muniz, senior Brandon Wall and junior Charles Heffernan are all 2-0 with wins against McMurry and Oklahoma Wesleyan. Muniz claimed both victories from the No. 5 spot while Heffernan and Wall went 1-0 at the fourth and sixth lines.

Wall and Miret Avante are 1-1 from the third doubles spot for the Mustangs. The two took a 4-6 drop against TJC and recovered a win at OWU on Saturday.

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 172-84 (.672) 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.

SCOUTING THE TIGERS

Cowley County ranks second in the ITA NJCAA National Team Rankings behind Tyler Junior College. The team fell in the national title match last year. In the 2022 season, the Tigers are undefeated through February with 6-1 victories over Drury, Cameron and Northwest Missouri State.

Takeshi Taco claimed the No. 1 spot in the ITA National Singles Rankings in December. The sophomore from Lima, Peru, claimed the singles championship at the ITA Cup in October. This year, Taco has two wins against Cameron and Northwest Missouri State.

Boruch Skierkier is No. 2 in the ITA rankings as he was runner-up in the ITA Cup last Fall. The freshman from Formosa, Argentina, has all three singles wins thus far in 2022. He and Taco pair to rank seventh in the nation.

Gaston Erhardt is 13th in the national singles rankings. The Buenos Aires, Argentina, freshman is undefeated from the second, third and fourth singles lines this season. He and No. 23 ranked single Carlos Castillo, are sixth in the doubles standings.

Sophomore Aymeric Bruno sits 16th in the ITA singles ranks. The Parisian has a sixth line singles victory against Cameron. He also has three doubles wins in the spring. He and No. 24 Taiyo Hirano are fifth in the ITA Doubles list. Hirano is 2-0 at the top doubles spot and the sixth singles line.

Sophomore Harry Collins and freshman Leandro Zgraggen finish the rankings at No. 28 and No. 35.

ABOUT THE SERIES

Midwestern State has five straight wins over Cowley County CC with the first in 1999 in Lawton, Okla. The other four matches have all been home wins. MSU collected two 7-2 victories in 2000 and 2011. They took a 6-3 match in 2012 and defeated the Tigers 5-2 in 2020.

UP NEXT

Midwestern State continues their home run this week with two more matches on Friday, March 4 and Saturday, March 5. The Mustangs take on Southwest Baptist on Friday at 1 p.m. MSU then faces Washburn on Saturday at 10 a.m. Both matches will take place at MSU Tennis Center.