No. 33 Midwestern State vs No. 40 Cameron

Tuesday, May 10 – 10 a.m.
MSU Tennis Center (Wichita Falls, Texas)
All-Time Series: MSU leads 31-26

WICHITA FALLS, Texas -- Midwestern State looks to take down Cameron for the second time this season as the two teams meet in the NCAA Round of 32. The Mustangs, as the second seed, host the third-seeded Aggies at MSU Tennis Center on Tuesday, May 10. The first serve is set for 10 a.m.
 
The teams battle to advance to the Round of 16 at the 2022 NCAA Division II Championship.

ABOUT THE MUSTANGS

The 33rd-ranked Mustangs concluded the season with a 15-7 record. MSU finished the LSC regular season with an undefeated record and clinched the conference championship. Second-seeded Midwestern State earned its ninth consecutive postseason berth and 19th overall tournament appearance. MSU advanced to the national quarterfinals in five of its last eight postseason appearances.

Alex Martinez Roca ranks 25th in the nation in singles play with a 12-5 record from line one. The senior won his last three contests, including a battle versus No. 32 Gonzalo Fernandez (UT Tyler) in the LSC title match. His 71 career singles wins are third in MSU history, needing two more to tie Jason Peters and Angel Palacios. The Castelldefels, Spain, product's 132 combined wins are sixth in the program record books.

Martinez Roca and Ben Westwick rank fourth in the nation in doubles play. The duo has a 20-2 record. Their 20 wins ties for twelfth in the program record books for single season doubles wins. The pair holds the most No. 1 doubles wins in program history. Martinez Roca and Westwick's two losses were to Southern Arkansas and Baylor University.

Westwick is 12-10 in singles play this season. The junior is 7-4 at the Mustangs' third line and 3-1 at line four. Westwick was the only Mustang undefeated in all seven Lone Star Conference matches this season. Both matches went unfinished versus DBU and St. Mary's in the LSC tournament.

Brice Bradshaw is 12-11 in all singles play this year. The sophomore has 11 victories at line two to tie for fourth in program history. The Hoover, Ala. native has one win against a ranked opponent. He beat 60th-ranked Stipan Madzar of Southeastern Oklahoma State on March 23.
 
Bradshaw teamed with Corbin Ford to post an 8-4 record in doubles play. The duo won the first two match of the postseason, but dropped in the championship.

Marcal Miret Avante has a 16-5 record in his first collegiate season. He has an 8-2 record at line four. The freshman is undefeated at line five with two wins. He clinched the win against St. Mary's in the LSC semifinal match.

Quentin Scharfenberg and Stephen Slocombe recently paired up to play at No. 3 doubles. The duo won three matches, including the battle against Ethan Muza and Christopher Frantzen of Baylor. Scharfenberg and Slocombe notched a win in the first round of the LSC Tournament.

Charles Heffernan is 11-5 playing at line five. The junior's 11 single season No. 5 singles wins ties eighth in program history. Heffernan won the first two matches in the LSC tournament to help MSU advance to the finals.
 
Stefan Andrei has a 10-2 record at No. 6. The freshman clinched MSU's regular-season matches against UT Tyler and Cameron to gain the LSC Player of the Week accolade on April 13. He also ties for sixth in the program record books with 10 No. 6 singles wins this season.

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 186-91 (.671) 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 AGGIES

Cameron is 13-8 for the 2022 season after falling in LSC semifinals to UT Tyler. The Aggies are 6-2 in away matches with the last loss coming in Wichita Falls. CU is No. 40 in last week's ITA National Rankings. The team has been in the NCAA Tournament 24 times with a 14-24 record. Cameron went to the postseason eight of the last nine years.
 
Thomas Cardona is 26th in the ITA National Singles Rankings. The freshman from Medellin, Colombia, is 16-2 for the year with a 13-0 record at line two. He won his last 15 matches, including a three-set victory over Bradshaw.
 
Sophomore Tomas Almeida holds the 64th spot in the rankings. He is 12-5 at line one for the Aggies. The Vila Nova De Gaia, Portugal, product won his last three contests. Almeida beat Martinez Roca in three sets in the April 12 match.
 
Cardona and Almeida have a 17-4 record for the year. After the duo dropped to Martinez Roca and Westwick on April 12, they won five consecutive competitions. Almeida and Cardona are 6-1 at No. 1 doubles.
 
Carlos Vidal is 9-5 at singles line three this season. The sophomore from Girona, Spain lost to Westwick in the last match between the Mustangs and Aggies. He is 11-10 in all singles competitions.
 
Freshman Kristian Kubik is 5-6 at line four for the Aggies. He has a 10-7 tally for the season. On April 12, the Czech Republic native fell in straight sets to Miret Avante. Kubik then won four consecutive contests until his loss in the LSC semifinals.
 
Together, Vidal and Kubik have three wins at No. 1 and No. 2 doubles. The duo played the last seven matches at line two to secure a 3-4 record. Vidal and Kubik lost 6-4 to Bradshaw and Ford in the April 12 match.
 
Joao Duleba is 9-2 at line six this season. The sophomore from Curitba, Brazil, won five consecutive battles for the Aggies. Earlier this season, he fell to Andrei in straight sets at line six. Duleba and Marek Slojewski are 5-3 at No. 3 doubles.
 
Sean Batkis is 3-5 at line five. The freshman from Herzliya, Israel, lost the clinching point to Heffernan on April 12.

ABOUT THE SERIES

The Red River Rivalry began in 1979 for Midwestern State and Cameron. MSU leads the series at 31-26. The Aggies lead in conference play with a 12-11 record. The Mustangs are 14-5 when facing Cameron at home. MSU bested CU 5-2 on April 12 of this year.

UP NEXT

The winner moves on the Round of 16 played at the 2022 NCAA Division II Championship site at the Sanlando Park Tennis Center from May 18-23 in Altamonte Springs, Fla.