No. 33 Midwestern State vs No. 43 Northwest Missouri State

Friday, April 8 – 10 a.m.
MSU Tennis Center (Wichita Falls, Texas)
All-Time Series: MSU leads 16-5

WICHITA FALLS, Texas -- Midwestern State returns to MSU Tennis Center to host No. 43 Northwest Missouri State. The 33rd-ranked Mustangs face the Bearcats in a non-conference match on Friday, April 8. First serve is set for 10 a.m.

ABOUT THE MUSTANGS

The 33rd-ranked Mustangs control a 16-5 record. The team split their conference matches last weekend. MSU has ten home wins this season. The team dropped only to Seward County and Tyler Junior College at MSU Tennis Center.

Anda Ghinga holds the 36th spot in the ITA National Singles Rankings. The sophomore is 14-4 at line one for the 2022 season. She earned her second career Lone Star Conference Player of the Week honors on March 9. The Arad, Romania, native is 2-2 against nationally-ranked opponents this year.

Ghinga and Hannah Yip sit at 28th in the ITA National Doubles Rankings. The duo has yet to be defeated this spring season, earning 16 consecutive wins. Yip earned a 10-11 record at the Mustangs' line two.

Emilija Visic lost her first singles match of the year last weekend. The sophomore still holds 14 wins this year. She earned her first LSC Player of the Week honor after winning ten matches from March 9 to 16. The Phoenix, Ariz., product is 4-1 in LSC play.

Visic and Casie Curry hold the 44th spot in the ITA National Rankings. The pair has a 13-2 record, winning their last two matches. They have four Lone Star Conference wins at line two.

Curry has 14 singles wins this season. The junior is 10-2 at line four for the Mustangs. She recently surpassed 100 career wins, which puts her 13th in the MSU program records.

Skylar Minns holds a 13-6 record. The sophomore played the last seven matches a line six where she is 10-6. She played for the first time at line four on March 15 and tallied a win against Hastings. Minns and Sydney Williams are 15-5 at doubles line three this season. In the last ten matches, the duo posted a 9-1 record.

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 200-86 (.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 BEARCATS

Northwest Missouri State owns a 12-5 record for the spring season. The Bearcats are 5-3 when playing on the road and have a 2-1 MIAA conference record. NWMSU won their last two matches, including a victory over No. 30 Southeastern Oklahoma State. Northwest Missouri State is 43rd in the ITA National Team Rankings.

Vera Alenicheva is 55th in the ITA National Singles Rankings. The sophomore from Moscow, Russia, has an 11-5 tally from line one. She is 12-4 in all doubles matches, notching a 7-1 record with Tessa Kwakernaak.

Kwakernaak is 8-8 in singles play. The sophomore played at lines three through six throughout the season. She has a 2-3 record at line four.

Alexandra Dodashev Enbert and Carolina Lima de Oliveira hold the 40th spot in the ITA National Doubles Rankings. The freshman duo has seven victories at line one for the Bearcats. De Oliveira has a 6-2 record at singles line five.

Julia Aliseda is 5-3 from line two and three for the season. The junior from Tarragona, Spain, fell to one nationally ranked opponent (No. 54 Flore Hadjigeorgiou of No. 16 Augustana). Aliseda and Sofia Pignataro are 10-3 from doubles line three. Pignataro holds an 8-1 record at line four.

ABOUT THE SERIES

Since 1998, Midwestern State accumulated 16 wins over Northwest Missouri State. The Mustangs fell five times to the Bearcats, including the last two meetings in 2019. In the last match, NWMSU knocked MSU out of the NCAA Tournament in the Round of 16 stage. The Mustangs are 3-2 when facing Northwest Missouri State in Wichita Falls.

UP NEXT

Midwestern State returns to Lone Star Conference play on Sunday, April 10. The Mustangs take on UT Tyler at MSU Tennis Center. The conference match kicks off at 2 p.m.