WICHITA FALLS, Texas -- No. 13-ranked Midwestern State went through a gauntlet at the UT Tyler Invitational last weekend, facing three teams from the Gulf South Conference. This week the Mustangs face three more challenging opponents at the MSU Tennis Center.

The action begins Friday at 2 p.m. with No. 26-ranked Nebraska-Kearney making its fourth visit to Wichita Falls and will face Midwestern State for the seventh time. MSU leads the all-time series, 5-1, but last year the Lopers rallied from a 2-1 deficit to beat Midwestern State at the Ernest Grundy Center in Kearney. UNK is coming off back-to-back losses, suffering a 4-2 setback to No. 14 Wayne State and getting edged by No. 20 Augustana, 4-3. The Lopers are 5-3 this season, including a 5-1 loss to No. 1-ranked Barry at the ITA DII National Team Indoor Championship.

No. 5-ranked Washburn faces the Mustangs for the 11th time and will seek its first victory in five visits to the MSU Tennis Center when the two sides clash on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. The Ichabods have suffered 4-3 losses in each of their last two visits and earned their only victory in the series 17 years ago in Topeka, Kansas, 5-4. Midwestern State leads the all-time series, 9-1, and has won the last seven encounters. Washburn arrives in Wichita Falls with a 6-1 record.

For the first time in the history of the program, MSU will tangle with McKendree from the Great Lakes Valley Conference at 1 p.m. on Sunday. The Bearcats face UT Tyler and Cameron in Wichita Falls before meeting their hosts. McKendree has won three of its last four dual matches after defeating Drury last weekend, 4-3, and has a 3-4 record this season.

Midwestern State is 3-2 this season after knocking off No. 3-ranked West Alabama at the UT Tyler Invitational, 4-2. No. 19 Auburn-Montgomery slipped past the Mustangs last week, 4-3, and West Florida scored a 4-2 victory over the Mustangs to close out the event.

The Mustangs have opened the season with a 4-9 record in doubles. The Romanian duo of juniors Anda Ghinga and Jessica Binzari is 2-1 for the Mustangs. Junior Hannah Yip from Malaysia and freshman Sarah Mazaraki from Australia, who debuted against West Alabama, are also 2-1 as a doubles team.

Ghinga is 5-0 at No. 3 singles and has dropped three or fewer games in four of her matches. Ghinga lost the first set to Ana Villavazo of Auburn-Montgomery but prevailed, 6-7, 6-2, 1-1 (retired).

Binzari has been solid at No. 1 singles with a 3-2 record after a 6-0, 6-3 victory against Carlota Verdu of West Florida. The left-handed transfer from Coker is 2-1 in three-set matches and lost to Anamarija Kovacevic of Findlay in a tightly contested 7-5, 7-5 match.

Yip won her first two matches in three sets and fended off four match points before defeating Elina Ivanova of Findlay, 4-6, 7-6 (6), 6-1. The lefty opened the season with a 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (9) victory over Georgia Hosking of Southeastern Oklahoma State.

Senior Skylar Minns from Aransas Pass, Texas, reeled off three consecutive wins to start the season, including a 6-3, 7-6 (3) victory over Greta Zowles of West Alabama at No. 5 singles. Minns is coming off back-to-back losses in singles for the first time since her freshman campaign.

Freshman Sofia Giraldo of Colombia has started her career with a 2-2 record in singles and played her first three-set match against Guadalupe Martinez of West Florida on Sunday. The Argonaut prevailed at No. 4 singles, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1.
 

Nebraska-Kearney

The Lopes have a veteran squad that was picked to finish third in the MIAA behind Washburn and Missouri Western in the 2024 MIAA preseason coaches' polls.

Jazmin Zamorano, who won the ITA Central Regional title and is ranked No. 8 in the nation, leads the Lopers. The senior from Sonora, Mexico, is 3-3 in singles and is coming off a 2-6, 4-6 loss at No. 2 singles to Senem Ocal of Augustana. Zamorano and Yip split sets at No. 2 singles in Kearney last year, but their match was unfinished. Zamorano is 6-1 at No. 3 doubles and has played alongside Fabiana Gamboa in the last six dual matches. Sydney Williams and Amelia Lawson defeated Zamorano and Melisa Becerra at No. 1 doubles last season, 6-3.

Becerra, a senior from Bucaramanga, Colombia, is 3-1 at No. 4 singles and is ranked No. 5 in the ITA Central Region. Becerra has teamed with Narindra Ranaivo in doubles, and they are 7-1 following a 6-1 victory over Simone Karaouza and Gabriela Jancikova of Augustana. Becerra played No. 1 singles against MSU last season and defeated Lawson, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4.

Gamboa, ranked No. 16 in the nation, is a freshman from Maracaibo, Venezuela, and she won her first four collegiate matches. After suffering losses at No. 1 singles to Alina Michalitsch of top-ranked Barry and Nadja Meier of No. 4-ranked Flagler. Gamboa rebounded with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Anais Ruyssen of No. 14-ranked Wayne State. The Venezuelan is coming off a 5-7, 2-6 loss to Flo Hadigeorgiou of No. 21-ranked Augustana.
 

Washburn

The Ichabods were picked first in the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll after finishing last season with an 18-7 record overall and a 6-2 mark in the MIAA regular season. The Ichabods were ranked No. 15 in the nation in the first ITA rankings of the year.

Maja Jung, ranked No. 3 in the nation, is 7-0 at No. 1 singles for Washburn and is coming off a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Nicole Dufour of No. 4-ranked Saint Leo.

Three different players have led the Ichabods to a 4-2 record at No. 4 singles, and three players have led the squad to a 6-1 record at No. 6 singles.

Freshman Carole Martine is coming off back-to-back wins at No. 6 singles after defeating Claudia Borbon Roca of Saint Leo, 6-4, 6-2.

The Ichabods are 16-5 in doubles overall, led by the pairing of Maddie Shelley and Renske Ubachs, who are 6-1 at No. 3 doubles. Jung and Lara Schmid are ranked No. 5 in the nation and the duo is 5-2 at No. 1 doubles. Peyton Koper and Isabella Martensson have gone 5-2 at No. 2 doubles.
 

McKendree

The Bearcats finished last season with an 8-6 record and were picked to finish fifth in the GLVC by the league's head coaches.

McKendree is coming off its first-ever win over Drury as the Bearcats won four singles matches against the Panthers. After Camilla Fonseca and Rhyan Cook dropped matches at No. 1 and No. 3 singles, Viola Cipriani captured No. 2 singles with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Alma Abazi. Iva Poleksic earned a 6-2, 6-2 win over Antanina Novik at No. 4 singles. Maria Vitoria Salomao defeated Eliana Weichel at No. 6 singles, and Sofia Djunisijevic won a see-saw match with Maria Espejo at No. 5 singles to clinch the match, 1-6, 6-1, 6-2.

The Bearcats have also scored 6-1 victories over Missouri Baptist and Quincy this season. McKendree swept all three doubles matches in both of those wins.

Midwestern State takes a Spring Break trip to the Sunshine State for dual matches against Embry-Riddle, Rollins and Flagler before beginning play against Lone Star Conference opponents. The Mustangs meet Embry-Riddle on Tuesday in Daytona Beach, Florida. The dual match begins at 2 p.m.

--MSUMustangs.com--