No. 38 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. The Lone Star Conference match kicks-off at 2 p.m.

ABOUT THE MUSTANGS

Midwestern State currently rides a ten-match win streak to get them to a 12-3 record. The No. 38 ranked Mustangs are 9-2 when playing at MSU Tennis Center. Their only losses were to top-rated junior colleges Seward County and Tyler Junior College. In 2021, MSU went 8-1 in Lone Star Conference play, dropping only to Angelo State.

Anda Ghinga ranks 40th in the nation and holds a 10-4 singles record. The sophomore earned Lone Star Conference Player of the Week on March 9 after defeating No. 17 Diana Cabrera (SBU) and No. 48 Marta Torres (Washburn). She is 2-1 versus all national-ranked opponents. After dropping to No. 23 Mireia Turro (Montevallo), Ghinga won three straight battles.

She and Hannah Yip rank 26th and hold an undefeated 10-0 record at No. 1 doubles. Ghinga is 12-3 in all doubles play while Yip is 13-2. Yip also holds a 8-7 singles tally from the second line.

Emilija Visic is undefeated in singles play with a 9-0 record. The sophomore earned LSC Player of the Week after securing a 10-0 tally in doubles and singles play this week. She and Casie Curry have a 9-1 record with a seven-match win stretch.

Curry is 9-3 in singles and 7-2 from the fourth position for the Mustangs. She has six straight wins from the third and fourth spots.
Ethne Dowling is 6-4 with a 5-2 record at the third spot. The junior is 4-1 in the last five matches.

Skylar Minns holds a 9-4 record and is 6-4 at No. 6. She won back-to-back matches last week at the fifth spot and went unfinished in the last two. She and Sydney Williams are 10-4 from the third doubles line. They have won their last six matches.

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. Linn has directed the women's program to a 196-84 (.700) in his 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.

SCOUTING THE LIONS

University of Arkansas-Fort Smith is 1-3 for the 2022 season, claiming their only win against University of the Ozarks. The Lions are 0-2 when playing on the road, dropping to Christian Brothers and Division I Oral Roberts. UAFS went 2-7 in Lone Star Conference play last season.

Bianca Koen is 0-3 from the top singles line for the Lions. The senior and Joanna Potet are 1-2 at No. 1 doubles. Potet is 2-2 in all singles play and 1-2 from the No. 2 position. The senior has one win at the No. 1 spot.

Petra Csizmadia tallied her only win at the No. 2 singles line. The junior is 0-3 from the No. 3 spot. She and Chloe Ruppanner are 1-3 at the No. 2 doubles spot. Ruppanner tallied a 6-1, 6-3 victory at the No. 3 line against the University of the Ozarks. From the No. 4 spot, the senior is 0-3.

Jenny Zapien is 2-2 in all singles play with a 1-2 record at the No. 5 spot. Camila Romero and Isabella Serrano split time at the No. 6 position. Romero is 1-2 while Serrano is 1-0. The duo is 1-3 in No. 3 doubles play.

ABOUT THE SERIES

Since 2007, Midwestern State has accumulated a 12-0 record over UAFS. MSU is 4-0 at home against the Lions. Midwestern State's first conference win over UAFS was a 7-0 shutout on the road.

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.