No. 44 Midwestern State vs Emporia State

Monday, March 14 – 11 a.m.
MSU Tennis Center (Wichita Falls, Texas)
All-Time Series: MSU leads 2-0

No. 44 Midwestern State vs Hastings

Tuesday, March 15 – 2 p.m.
MSU Tennis Center (Wichita Falls, Texas)
 
WICHITA FALLS, Texas -- Midwestern State returns to Wichita Falls, Texas, for a handful of matches during the spring break week. The Mustangs kick off the schedule with a battle versus Emporia State on Monday, March 14 at 11 a.m. They then face Hastings College on Tuesday, March 15 at 2 p.m.

ABOUT THE MUSTANGS

The Mustangs are 4-5 on the season and entered the top 50 rankings of the ITA. MSU sits at No. 44 on the list as they hold a 2-3 home record. They are 1-3 against other ranked teams, claiming a win versus No. 46 Southwest Baptist. The team fell to No. 7 Washburn, No. 8 Ouachita Baptist and No. 11 Southern Arkansas.
 
No. 14 Alex Martinez Roca is 1-1 from the top singles line this season with a three-set victory against Tyler Junior College. The senior and Ben Westwick, rank second in the nation. The duo holds a 6-1 record with their drop coming at the hands of Southern Arkansas.
 
Westwick is 2-6 for the season and 2-4 from the No. 1 singles spot. The junior has four straight losses since March 5, playing against two top-30 opponents.
 
Stefan Andrei is 2-6 from the second, third and fourth singles spots. The freshman also has four straight losses and two unfinished matches to this point.
 
Brice Bradshaw is 4-4 on the singles side, playing from the first three spots. The sophomore is 3-3 from the second spot and collected a 6-4, 7-5 win versus Montevallo after suffering a loss to No. 26 Santiago Kearney of OBU.
 
Charles Heffernan suffered his first singles loss to Taiyo Hirano of Cowley County. Since then, the junior has accumulated a 5-3 record. He took a three-set victory at the fourth line to help MSU to the win over Montevallo.
 
Marcal Miret Avante dropped for the first time to No. 6 ranked Marko Nikolluk of Southern Arakansas. The freshman still leads the team with a 6-1 tally on the year. He is 4-1 playing at the third position for the Mustangs.

AT THE HELM

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 173-88 (.663) 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 HORNETS

Emporia State is 5-3 on the season with a 0-1 away record. The Hornets have lost their last two matches to Metropolitan State of Denver and Southeastern Oklahoma. The team took a 0-4 drop to Ouachita Baptist on Feb. 20.
 
Harrison Brown is 1-4 from the top singles line for the Hornets. The junior's solo victory was in three sets against Tabor College. He is 2-2 with Andy Graf at No. 1 doubles. Graf is 1-4 in singles play, going 1-3 at the third line.
 
Luiz Maia holds a 1-3 record at the second spot. The senior tallied a win versus Bethel on Feb. 16. He and Jaden Tredway are 1-1 from the third doubles line. Tredway is undefeated in singles play with a 4-0 record. The freshman is 3-0 at No. 6.
 
Theo Belmonte is also undefeated with a 4-0 record. The junior has three wins at the fourth spot. He and Sergia Vera are 3-2 from the second doubles line. Vera holds a 3-0 record at the fifth singles spot.

SCOUTING THE BRONCOS

Hastings has a 2-2 record for the 2022 season. The Broncos defeated Bethany College and Sterling College but fell to Colorado College and Tabor College.
 
Senior Josh Sodorff was part of the 2021 GPAC All-Conference Team. Sophomores Hayden and Hunter Royal earned honorable mention. Sodorff and Hayden Royal were selected to the Doubles All-Conference Team.

ABOUT THE SERIES

Midwestern State is 2-0 versus Emporia State. The Mustangs took a 6-3 win over the Hornets in Tahlequah, Okla., in 1997. MSU swept ESU in 2005 by 9-0 in Topeka, Kan. This will be the first non-neutral match between the two teams.
 
This is the first match-up between the Mustangs and the Broncos.

UP NEXT

Midwestern State goes South to face Division I side, Baylor University. The No. 44 Mustangs and the No. 5 Bears face-off at Hurd Tennis Center in Waco, Texas, on Thursday, March 17