ARKADELPHIA, Arkansas -- Midwestern State rolled to a 5-2 win over Southern Arkansas in the season opener Friday afternoon at the Ward Tennis Center.
The Mustangs, who improved to 12-2 in lid lifters since
Scott Linn took over the program in 2011, swept through doubles before taking four of six singles matches.
Juan David Duque and
Marcal Miret Avante put MSU out on the right foot with a 6-3 win over SAU's Lluc Camps and Mathys Pinoit at No. 3 doubles.
Germano Setti and
Killian Guillou beat Tim Fischer and Pierre Coppin by the same score at No. 2, while
Luis Diaz Argente and
Stephen Slocombe also rolled to a 6-3 win over Ole Valkyser and Matthew Tennant at No. 1.
Guillou pushed Midwestern's advantage to 2-0 with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Valkyser at No. 2 singles before Pinoit put SAU on the board with a 7-6 (3), 6-2 win over Diaz Argente at No. 3.
Slocombe put the Mustangs on the brink of team victory with a 6-3, 7-5 win over Frode Neumann at No. 4, but Fischer, the No. 35-ranked single player according to the ITA fall rankings, battled Setti for a 7-6 (9), 6-3 win at the No. 1 line to pull the Muleriders to within 3-2.
But Midwestern State's
Justin Van Amerongen, a transfer from Blue Mountain College, clinched the match with a 7-5, 6-3 win over Copin at No. 5 singles.
MSU sophomore
Philip Kamara closed out the book with a 6-4, 4-6, 1-0 (10-4) win over Tennant at No. 6.
Midwestern State takes on No. 23-ranked Ouachita Baptist (Ark.) Saturday morning at Ward Tennis Center. First serve is set for 9 a.m.
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-- MSUMustangs.com --
