No. 44 Midwestern State vs Arkansas-Fort Smith

Friday, March 18 – 2 p.m.
MSU Tennis Center (Wichita Falls, Texas)
All-Time Series: MSU leads 12-0
 
WICHITA FALLS, Texas -- Midwestern State rolled to two consecutive wins earlier this week and looks to finish on a third as they take on the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith on Friday, March 18. First serve is set for 2 p.m. at MSU Tennis Center for the Lone Star Conference match.

ABOUT THE MUSTANGS

The Mustangs are 6-5 on the season and entered the top 50 rankings of the ITA. MSU sits at No. 44 on the list as they hold a 4-3 home record.

No. 14 Alex Martinez Roca is 3-1 from the top singles line this season after posting back-to-back victories against Emporia State and Hastings College. He owns 62 career singles wins to rank sixth in program history.

The senior and Ben Westwick rank second in the nation in doubles play. The duo holds an 8-1 record with their drop coming at the hands of No.11 Southern Arkansas. Westwick is 4-6 for the season and is 2-1 after playing at the third singles spot this week. The junior cut his four-match slide in which he fell to two nationally ranked opponents.

Brice Bradshaw is 6-4 on the singles side, playing from the first three spots. The sophomore is 5-3 from the second spot and owns a three game streak. He and Quentin Scharfenberg own a 3-1 record at the second line, dropping only to the No. 38 ranked pair in the nation.

Marcal Miret Avante dropped for the first time to No. 6 ranked Marko Nikolluk of Southern Arkansas on March 12. The freshman still leads the team with a 7-1 tally on the year. He is 4-1 playing at the third position for the Mustangs and remains undefeated at the fourth and fifth lines. He and Stephen Slocombe own a 4-4 tally at No. 3 doubles.

Charles Heffernan suffered his first singles loss to Taiyo Hirano of Cowley County on March 2. Overall, the junior accumulated a 7-3 record. He is 3-1 from both the fourth and fifth spots for the Mustangs.

Stefan Andrei is 4-5 while playing from five of the six singles lines. The freshman is 0-5 at No. 4 but holds a 1-0 tally at the second, third, fifth and sixth spots. He is on a two-match streak.

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 175-88 (.665) 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 LIONS

University of Arkansas-Fort Smith is 2-2 on the season and 1-1 in away matches. The Lions defeated Christian Brothers on Feb. 11 and University of the Ozarks on March 1. The team's two drops were against Southwest Baptist and Division I Oral Roberts University. Head Coach Ben Anderson is in his sixth season at the helm of both the men's and the women's teams.

Wian Van Dyk holds a 1-2 record at the No. 1 spot in singles play. He and Ethan Eddleman are 2-2 at the top doubles line. Eddleman is 2-1 in overall singles and 1-1 at the No. 6 position.

Daniel Borrero holds a 1-2 tally at the No. 2 spot. He and Juan Rosello are 2-2 from the second doubles line. Rosello is 1-0 at the No. 3 spot and 1-2 from No. 4.

Anis Ramchane is 0-3 at No. 3, but has one victory at the No. 2 spot against University of the Ozarks. He and Killian Darneaux are undefeated at 2-0 from the third doubles line.

ABOUT THE SERIES

Since 2007, Midwestern State has accumulated a 12-0 record over UAFS. From 2012 to 2019, the Mustangs did not drop a point to the Lions and tallied seven shutouts. MSU is 4-0 at home. Midwestern State's first conference win over UAFS was a 5-2 victory in 2021.

UP NEXT

Midwestern State takes a break from LSC play with a non-conference slate versus Southeastern Oklahoma State on March 23. The match is a reschedule that was originally set for Feb. 26. The Mustangs travel to Durant, Okla., to face the Storm at Southeastern Tennis Complex. First serve is set for 11 a.m.