DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- No. 18-ranked Midwestern State is bound for the Sunshine State to play three dual matches over Spring Break. The first opponent is No. 33-ranked Embry-Riddle on Tuesday. First serve at Crotty Tennis Complex is scheduled for 2 p.m. CDT.

Midwestern State (4-4) faced two ranked opponents at MSU Tennis Center this past weekend and were narrowly defeated by No. 13-ranked Washburn on Saturday, 4-3, before succumbing to No. 14-ranked McKendree on Sunday, 5-2. MSU is hoping to snap a three-dual losing streak, which includes a 4-0 loss to No. 7-ranked West Florida at the UT Tyler Invitational.

The Mustangs have won the doubles point in four of eight dual matches and are 12-9 in doubles matches this season.

The 13th-ranked duo of Stephen Slocombe and Luis Diaz Argente is 5-1 with their only loss coming at Southeastern Oklahoma on Feb. 24. Slocombe and Diaz have reeled off three-straight wins at No. 1 doubles, including a 6-2 victory over Leonardo Frederico and Bendix Schroeder of McKendree on Sunday as the Mustangs took the doubles point.

Germano Setti and Killian Guillou improved to 4-4 with a 6-3 triumph over Luka Kalenic and Vishnu Prasad of McKendree at No. 2 doubles, while Bruno Sanchez and Justin Van Amerongen made their debut for MSU and posted a 6-4 win against Lorenzo Del Biondo and Sebastian Holden at No. 3 doubles.

Midwestern State is 20-23 in its singles matches through the non-conference campaign and lost five of its six singles matches to McKendree.

Philip Kamara suffered his first defeat of the season on Sunday. Luka Kalenic of McKendree won a match tiebreak against the sophomore from Romania to claim No. 5 singles for McKendree, 4-6, 7-6 (4), 10-6. Kamara is 3-1 at No. 5 singles with an overall record of 6-1.

Diaz is 3-0 at No. 2 singles but is 3-3 overall following a 3-6, 4-6 setback against Frederico of McKendree at No. 1 singles on Sunday. Diaz is 0-2 at No. 3 singles with losses against Southern Arkansas and Ouachita Baptist last month.

Guillou ended three-match skid in singles with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Bendix Schroeder of the Bearcats at No. 3 singles on Sunday. The sophomore from Paris, France, is 3-1 in the No. 3 position this season and 1-3 when playing No. 2 singles.

Setti played No. 1 singles in his first seven appearances for the Mustangs this season but manned No. 2 singles against McKendree. Sebastian Holden put the Bearcats in front on Sunday with a 6-2, 6-7 (5), 6-1 victory over Setti, who is 2-6 to start the season.

Slocombe won three of his first four singles matches this season, but the junior from Barbados has a four-match losing streak following a 4-6, 4-6 loss to Vishnu Prasad of McKendree at No. 4 singles. Slocombe took 69th-ranked Tommaso Cecchetti of Washburn to three sets on Saturday but fell, 3-6, 6-1, 4-6.

Van Amerongen is 2-2 in singles after a 1-6, 3-6 loss to Del Biondo.

Sanchez is 1-1 but has not played a singles match for the Mustangs since losing a point at No. 6 singles in the 6-1 victory over West Alabama on March 1.

Midwestern State is facing Embry-Riddle for the third time in program history and has lost its two previous encounters in Daytona Beach. MSU has not tangled with the Eagles since a 7-2 loss in 2013, and Embry Riddle posted a 9-0 win over the Mustangs in 2012.

Mustangs' head coach Scott Linn held the same position at Embry-Riddle from 2000-2004 and led the Eagles to an 83-53 record during his time in Daytona Beach.

Embry-Riddle has opened the season with a 6-2 record overall, and the Eagles are 5-2 at home with victories over No. 4-ranked Mississippi College and No. 8-ranked Wayne State in their last two dual matches.

Joshua Nuyts is 7-1 in the dual-match season for Embry-Riddle and is ranked No. 25 in the nation. Nuyts has won his last two matches at No. 2 singles in straight sets after suffering a 3-6, 7-6 (5), 2-6 loss to Carlo Roselini of No. 15-ranked Wingate.

The Eagles are 7-0 at No. 6 singles. Alvaro Diaz Rodrigo has won his last three matches in the No. 6 position after scoring a 6-2, 6-0 triumph over Nikolai Prosjanykov of Michigan Tech at No. 5 singles on Feb. 26. The junior from Madrid, Spain, has not dropped a set in a completed match this season.

Embry-Riddle is 24-25 and has won the doubles point in four of its seven dual matches this season, including wins over Mississippi College and Wayne State in its two most recent duals.

The Mustangs travel nearly 60 miles south to Winter Park, Florida, for a dual match against Rollins at 1 p.m. CDT on Wednesday.

 

--MSUMustangs.com--