Friday, April 1 – 12 p.m.
TAMUK Tennis Courts (Kingsville, Texas)
All-Time Series: MSU leads 12-1
No. 21 Midwestern State at No. 19 Angelo State
Saturday, April 2 – 12 p.m.
ASU Tennis Courts (San Angelo, Texas)
All-Time Series: ASU leads 2-1
KINGSVILLE, Texas -- Midwestern State continues its conference road trip this week. The team faces Texas A&M-Kingsville and Angelo State. The Mustangs battle the Javelinas on Friday, April 1, at the TAMUK Tennis Courts. The LSC match starts at noon.
MSU takes on the Belles on Saturday, April 2. ASU hosts the Lone Star Conference battle at the ASU Tennis Courts in San Angelo, Texas. The first serve is set for
noon.
ABOUT THE MUSTANGS
The 21st-ranked Mustangs control a 15-4 record for the 2022 season. The only losses were to Seward County, Tyler Junior College, No. 2 Central Oklahoma, and No. 25 Southeastern Oklahoma State. After clinching wins at Western New Mexico and UT Permian Basin last week, MSU has a 3-2 away record. The Mustangs are one of three undefeated teams in the Lone Star Conference. They are the only team with three LSC victories.
Anda Ghinga ranks 30th in the nation and holds a 13-5 singles record. The sophomore earned Lone Star Conference Player of the Week on March 9 after defeating No. 17-ranked Diana Cabrera (SBU) and No. 48-ranked Marta Torres (Washburn). She is 2-1 versus all national-ranked opponents. After dropping to No. 23 Mireia Turro (Montevallo) on March 12, Ghinga won four straight matches. The Arad, Romania, native is 3-0 in conference play.
She and Hannah Yip rank 35th in DII and hold an undefeated 14-0 record at line one. Ghinga is 16-3 in all doubles play while Yip is 17-2. Yip bears a 10-9 singles tally from line two. The Malaysian has two LSC match victories.
Undefeated in singles play, Emilija Visic owns a 13-0 record. The sophomore earned her first LSC Player of the Week honor after winning ten matches from March 9 to 16. Visic has eight wins at line five and has four wins at line four. She secured her only line three victory against McMurry on Jan. 28. The Phoenix, Ariz., resident played at line four for the past six matches.
Visic and Casie Curry have an 11-2 record. Their drop to UTPB last week ended their eight-match win stretch at doubles line two. The pair jumped to a 21st ranking in the ITA list, previously held at 43. Visic is 13-5 in all doubles play while Curry claims a 13-3 record.
Curry is 13-3 in singles and 9-2 from line four for the Mustangs. She has ten straight wins playing at lines three and four, starting on March 11. The junior has 98 combined career wins, needing two more to reach the 100-mark. Curry owns 45 career singles and 53 career doubles victories.
Skylar Minns holds a 12-5 record and is 9-5 at line six. She played for the first time at line four on March 15 and tallied a win against Hastings. The sophomore is 2-0 at line five. She won back-to-back matches versus Northeastern State and Ouachita Baptist on March 5 and 11. Minns and Sydney Williams are 14-4 from doubles line three. They have won their last ten matches with their last drop coming on March 5.
AT THE HELM
Scott Linn is in his 12th season at the helm of the Midwestern State men's and women's tennis programs. He guided the Mustangs to 17 NCAA Tournament appearances since he arrived in Wichita Falls in 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 199-85 (.701) record in his eleven seasons on campus. This includes nine NCAA Division II postseason appearances. Linn helped the team reach the round of 16 in 2013, 2014, 2018, and 2019. The Mustangs also made trips to the NCAA quarterfinals in 2015 and 2017 under his direction.
SCOUTING THE JAVELINAS
Texas A&M-Kingsville is 6-7 for the season and holds a 1-1 record in the Lone Star Conference. The Javelinas swept UT Permian Basin on March 9 for their first conference victory. TAMUK dropped the last three matches, including a 5-2 loss to St. Mary's on March 26.
Alessa Maier holds the 75th spot in the ITA's national rankings. She also leads the Javelinas from line two with an 8-4 record. The sophomore won the last six matches, including a victory over No. 65 Marina Vigil of St. Mary's. Maier has two LSC wins. She and Manuela Turolo have a 7-3 tally for the year. Turolo owns a 5-4 record at singles line six. The freshman has one win at line four, taking the match versus Clark Atlanta.
Maya Donkor is 3-8 at line one. The junior lost the last four matches, including a drop to No. 18 Ashley Penshorn of St. Mary's. She and Raina Zaffar hold a 4-7 record playing at doubles line one. Zaffar is 4-6 for the season with three consecutive losses in singles. The sophomore has a 1-1 record in Lone Star Conference play.
Noemi Sante is 4-6 at line three with losses in her last three matches. The sophomore clinched line two wins against Texas A&M-Texarkana and Weatherford College. She and Milou ter Morsche are 4-6 at doubles line two. Ter Morsche is undefeated in singles league play with two victories. Overall, the sophomore has an 8-4 tally for the year.
SCOUTING THE RAMBELLES
No. 29 Angelo State has an 8-5 record for the 2022 season. The Rambelles have one conference win against UT Permian Basin. They defeated the Falcons 5-2. ASU fell to St. Mary's on March 25 to go 1-1 in LSC play. Angelo State lost the last three matches, falling to No. 13 West Alabama, No. 24 West Florida, and StMU. The team has a 2-0 home record with wins against UTPB and No. 15 Nebraska-Kearney.
Dianela Rodriguez ranks at No. 29 in Division II. The junior won eight consecutive matches from Feb. 11 to March 15. Back-to-back losses versus West Alabama and No. 56 Irene Recuenco of West Florida ended her streak. Rodriguez is 2-0 in LSC play, taking a victory against No. 13 Maria Garcia of StMU. She played all but one match at line two and had one battle at line one, which was versus Spring Hill College.
Valentina Gonzalez Ramirez holds the 55th spot in the ITA's National Rankings. The graduate student is 5-6 for the season, dropping her last three matches. In her only match-up with another ranked opponent, Gonzalez Ramirez fell to No. 18 Ashley Penshorn from St. Mary's. She played all matches at line one.
Gonzalez Ramirez and Ena Ovcina, the 20th-ranked duo in Division II, have a 9-3 record for the season. Their losses were against Henderson State, Southwest Baptist and West Florida. The duo compete at line one for the Rambelles. Ovcina is 3-6 from line three in singles play. The graduate student dropped her last three matches, including a battle with No. 65 Marina Vigil of StMU.
Eva Schwartz earned LSC Player of the Week on February 16 with a four-match win streak. The freshman played at lines two, four and five this season. She holds an 8-4 tally in all singles play. Schwartz and Mieke Van Deventer are 6-3 at line three on the doubles side.
ABOUT THE SERIES
MSU has a 12-1 overall record and an 8-1 tally against TAMUK. The Javelinas' only win was in 2018 on their home court. Since then, the Mustangs have taken four straight matches. MSU swept Texas A&M-Kingsville 7-0 in their 2021 battle in Wichita Falls, Texas. Midwestern State is 2-1 when playing in Kingsville, Texas.
Midwestern State has one win and two losses in the series with Angelo State. The Mustangs won the first match in 2018 by a 7-2 score. MSU dropped back-to-back matches in 2019 and 2021. In 2019, the team fell 4-2 in San Angelo, Texas, for its only road loss against the Rambelles. The Mustangs dropped to ASU in 2021 by a 4-3 score.
UP NEXT
Midwestern State hosts Northwest Missouri State on Friday, April 8, in a non-conference slate. The Mustangs and the Bearcats will battle at MSU Tennis Center in Wichita Falls, Texas. The first serve is set for 10 a.m.
--MSUMustangs.com--
