Midwestern State vs RV Southwest Baptist

Friday, March 4 – 1 p.m.
MSU Tennis Center (Wichita Falls, Texas)
All-Time Series: MSU leads 14-7

Midwestern State vs No. 22 Washburn

Saturday, March 5 – 10 a.m.
MSU Tennis Center (Wichita Falls, Texas)
All-Time Series: MSU leads 7-2

WICHITA FALLS, Texas – Following a tough loss to top NJCAA side Cowley County, Midwestern State looks to rebound this weekend with a pair of matches at MSU Tennis Center. The Mustangs take on Southwest Baptist on Friday, March 4 at 1 p.m. MSU and No. 22 Washburn on Saturday, March 5 at 10 a.m.

ABOUT THE MUSTANGS

The Mustangs are 2-2 with 7-0 wins over McMurry and Oklahoma Wesleyan. MSU's losses were at the hands of top NJCAA schools, Tyler Junior College and Cowley County.

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 continues their undefeated run at the first line after securing a big 7-6 (13-11) victory against Cowley County.

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

He and Brice Bradshaw are 2-1 from the second doubles line after dropping in Wednesday's match against the Tigers. 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 2-2 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. He lost at No. 3 against Tyler Junior College and No. 2 versus Cowley County. Bradshaw ranks at No. 19 for the South Central Region.

Charles Heffernan suffered his first singles loss to Taiyo Hirano of Cowley County. The junior is 2-1 on the season with a 1-0 record at No. 4 and a 1-1 tally at No. 6.

Marcal Miret Avante, Jean Muniz and Brandon Wall are all 2-0 in singles play. Muniz and Miret Avante claimed both victories from the No. 5 spot. Wall went 1-0 at the fourth and sixth lines versus McMurry and Oklahoma Wesleyan.

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 172-85 (.669) 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 BEARCATS

Southwest Baptist is receiving votes in the Feb. 17 release of the ITA National Team Rankings. The Bearcats are 2-4 on the season with victories over Washington University and UAFS. SBU opened the 2022 season with three straight losses to Ouachita Baptist, No. 14 Delta State and No. 22 Southern Arkansas. They also fell to No. 7 University of Indianapolis on Feb. 13.

David Szeri is 0-5 from the No. 1 singles line. The senior faced three nationally ranked opponents in his run. He partners with Alvaro Nunez to go 1-4 from the second doubles spot. The duo took their solo win against Arkansas-Fort Smith on Feb. 19. Nunez is 0-3 at the second singles spot.

Makary Adamek is 1-4 on the season, going 1-1 at No. 2 singles and 0-3 at No. 3 singles. The freshman claimed his only victory in three sets against UAFS. He and Nabil Youssef are 1-4 at the third doubles line. Youssef holds a perfect 2-0 record, gaining a win at fourth and sixth singles.

Carlos Corser is 0-5 in singles play at the third, fourth, and fifth spots. The senior and Max Sanoja are 1-4 at No. 1 doubles, claiming their win against Washington University. Sanoja holds a 1-4 record for singles at the fifth and six lines.

SCOUTING THE ICHABODS

Washburn ranks at No. 17 in the ITA Rankings as of Feb. 17 and are 6-1 thus far in the season. The team's only loss was at the hands of No. 7 University of Indianapolis on Feb. 12. Since then, WU has four straight wins against three GLVC teams and one GAC team.

Kim Niethammer sits at No. 49 in the ITA National Singles Rankings while Miguel Perez and Daniel Bird are No. 19 on the doubles side and are 3-1 at the No. 3 spot. Perez holds a 3-2 singles record while Bird has a 3-2 tally.

Raul-Alin Dicu is 4-2 from the top singles spot. The senior is 2-2 versus nationally ranked opponents. He and Noah Neideck are 4-1 at the second doubles line.

Tim Hammes holds a 6-1 singles record for the year, going 3-0 at No. 2. The freshman has played at all four of the first spots for the Ichabods and is 1-0 against nationally ranked opponents. He is 2-0 in doubles play.

Sebastian Pjontek leads Wasburn with a 3-0 tally at No. 3 singles. The sophomore is 4-2 at all lines while going 4-1 at No. 1 doubles with Matthew Earle.

ABOUT THE SERIES

The Mustangs and the Bearcats have battled since 1998 to a 14-7 record in MSU's advantage. Midwestern State has two straight wins against Southwest Baptist since 2020. The Mustangs are 3-1 when playing in Wichita Falls, Texas, against the Bearcats. The last meeting was in 2021 when MSU overtook No. 25 SBU by 6-1 in Springfield, Mo.

Midwestern State holds a 7-2 record versus Washburn since the series began in 2001. The Mustangs are on a four-match win streak since 2011. In the last meeting, MSU took a 4-3 win over No. 37 Washburn at home in 2019.

UP NEXT

Midwestern State gears up for another full week with three matches over two days. The Mustangs face Ouachita Baptist on Friday, March 11 at 2 p.m. The following day, MSU takes on Montevallo and Southern Arkansas on March 12. All three matches will be held at Live Oak Tennis Courts in Magnolia, Ark.