No. 37 Midwestern State vs No. 32 Northwest Missouri State
Friday, April 8 – 10 a.m.
MSU Tennis Center (Wichita Falls, Texas)
All-Time Series: MSU leads 11-6
WICHITA FALLS, Texas -- After a two week break, Midwestern State jumps back into action this weekend at MSU Tennis Center. The Mustangs host No. 32 Northwest Missouri State on Friday, April 8 at 10 a.m.
ABOUT THE MUSTANGS
The Mustangs are 10-5 on the season with six consecutive wins over the last four weeks. The team also jumped to the 37th spot in the ITA's national rankings. MSU is 5-3 when playing at home, winning the last three matches at MSU Tennis Center.
Alex Martinez Roca ranks 18th in the nation in singles play with a 7-1 record from line one. After falling against Cowley County on March 2, the senior collected six consecutive wins. The Castelldefels, Spain, product is undefeated in LSC play with three victories. His 66 career singles wins rank fourth in MSU program history.
Martinez Roca and Ben Westwick rank second in the nation in doubles play. The duo has a 12-1 record, including a win over No. 9-ranked Francisco Oliveira and Santiago Kearney of Ouachita Baptist. Martinez Roca and Westwick took their only loss on March 12 against Southern Arkansas. Martinez Roca and Westwick have won their last six matches.
Westwick is 7-7 in singles this season. The junior won his last two matches in straight sets at No. 4 helping the Mustangs to victories against Western New Mexico and UT Permian Basin. He is 3-0 against Lone Star Conference competition.
Brice Bradshaw is 9-5 in all singles play this year, going 6-3 in the last ten matches. The sophomore has eight victories at line two. The Hoover, Ala. native has one win against a ranked opponent beating 60th-ranked Stipan Madzar of Southeastern Oklahoma State 6-1, 6-1 on March 23. Bradshaw teamed with Corbin Ford to win their last two matches at No. 2 doubles.
Marcal Miret Avante has won 11 of his 12 matches and is riding a five-match winning streak. The freshman is 6-1 at the No. 3 singles position and is undefeated in three Lone Star Conference matches. Miret Avante and Stephen Slocombe are 6-6 at No. 3 doubles.
Charles Heffernan is 5-3 at No. 5 singles and Stefan Andrei has a 5-0 record at No. 6. Andrei won his last six matches, including three in LSC play.
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. He guided 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 179-88 (.670) mark with seven NCAA Tournament appearances. The team advanced to the national quarterfinals in 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018, and 2019 after a five-year absence from the postseason.
SCOUTING THE BEARCATS
Northwest Missouri State is 9-4 for the 2022 season with a 5-2 record when playing on the road. In the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA), NWMSU has a 3-2 record. Their conference losses were back-to-back against No. 17 Ouachita Baptist and No. 13 Southern Arkansas. The Bearcats won their last three matches starting April 1. Northwest Missouri State is 32rd in the ITA National Rankings.
Andrea Zamurri holds the 13th spot in the ITA National Single Rankings. The sophomore from Rieti, Italy, is 10-2 at line one for the Bearcats. He and Franco Oliva rank 45th on the doubles side of the ITA's list. The pair has five wins at line one. Oliva, a senior from Mar Del Plata, Argentina, ranks 29th in the nation in singles play. He was the MIAA Player of the Year and was an ITA All-American in 2018-19.
Sophomore Simon Birgerson has a 2-6 tally at line three. Junior Mason Meier is 6-2 at line five, winning his last three matches. Birgerson and Meier partner together at doubles line two to take a 6-2 record for the season.
Fabien Calloud and Vinnie Rodrigues are 3-2 at line three. Calloud, a junior from Tokyo, Japan, is 4-1 at singles line and 13-4 for the season.
ABOUT THE SERIES
Midwestern State has an 11-6 record against Northwest Missouri State over ten years. The Mustangs have four consecutive home wins against the Bearcats. MSU has yet to take a win versus NWMSU when they are ranked. The Mustangs dropped to the 16th and 12th-ranked Bearcats in 2016 and 2017. Northwest Missouri State beat Midwestern State 4-2 in the 2021 match.
UP NEXT
Midwestern State returns to Lone Star Conference play on Sunday, April 10. The Mustangs take on No. 30 UT Tyler at MSU Tennis Center. The conference match kicks off at 2 p.m.
--MSUMustangs.com--
