NORTH KANSAS CITY, Missouri -- No. 19-ranked Midwestern State visits Rockhurst and No. 8-ranked Washburn to begin its season this weekend.

The season opener against Rockhurst at Overland Park Racquet Club gets underway at 11 a.m. on Friday, and the Mustangs travel an hour west to Topeka for their dual match with the Ichabods on Saturday at Genesis Topeka Southwest. First serve is scheduled for noon.

Midwestern State finished last season with a 14-10 record overall and finished with a 7-1 record against Lone Star Conference foes. The Mustangs reached the final of the LSC Championship but fell to No. 22-ranked UT Tyler, 4-3. UT Permian Basin defeated MSU in the South Central Regional, 4-3.

Seven letter winners are back in the fold this season, led by junior Germano Setti. The Brazilian was an All-LSC first team performer last season with an 11-4 record at No. 2 singles. Setti also earned two victories in eight appearances at No. 1 singles. Setti won 10 of 11 matches before Takumi Katsuda of UT PB scored a 7-6 (8), 6-3 victory in the South Central Regional.

Setti and Killian Guillou were 7-1 in doubles during conference duals, winning eight of their final 10 matches, including a 7-5 victory over Vitaliy Horovoy and Jonathan Vega of UTPB in the South Central Regional.

Sophomore Bruno Sanchez won his first five matches in the fall and reached the final of the ITA Division II South Central Regional Championships, eliminating top-seeded Louis Boileven of Cameron, 6-3, 6-2, on his way to the final, where he lost three-set decision to Carl Wessel of UT Tyler, 6-4, 2-6, 6-3.

Sanchez opens the spring campaign ranked No. 16 in the International Tennis Association singles rankings of NCAA Division II players.

Juan David Duque was 5-2 in the fall and is ranked No. 29 in the nation after reaching the quarterfinals of the ITA Division II South Central Regional in October. Duque was 3-1 last spring with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Zach Capone of Dallas Baptist on April 12 for his third straight win.

Philip Kamara, who finished last spring with a 4-1 record at No. 6 singles and was 11-9 in singles overall, reached the quarterfinals of the ITA South Central Regional but was eliminated by Sanchez, 6-4, 6-2.

Senior Justin Van Amerongen closed out last spring with three straight singles victories and was 5-2 for the season. The Dutchman won a thrilling three-set match over Jonas Krahofer of UTPB in his final singles match of the season, 7-6 (5), 3-6, 7-6 (2).

Sanchez and Van Amerongen were 10-5 as a doubles team at No. 3 doubles.

Stephen Slocombe enters his senior season with the Mustangs. The Barbadian was an All-American alongside doubles partner Luis Diaz Argente last season as they became the third men's doubles team from Midwestern State to earn All-American honors.

Slocombe was 12-9 in singles with a 6-3 record at No. 4 singles and a 6-6 record at No. 3 singles.

Rockhurst finished last season with a 9-11 record and was 2-2 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. The Hawks lost in the first round of the GLVC Tournament, 4-1, to McKendree.

Semyon Tsyrenov won the ITA Midwest Regional Championships in Grand Rapids, Michigan, defeating Cedric Drenth of Wayne State, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, in the championship match. Tsyrenov lost to Alex Benichou Blanchard of Mississippi College at the ITA Cup in Rome, Georgia.

Washburn was 20-5 last season with a perfect 4-0 record in the MIAA. The Ichabods defeated Harding in the MIAA/GAC Tournament championship, 4-0, and repeated that effort in the NCAA Central Regional Championships.

In the NCAA National Championships, Washburn was narrowly defeated by Wayne State in the Round of 16. 4-3.

Washburn has won its first two duals of 2025, defeating Illinois Springfield, 7-0, and knocking off No. 24-ranked McKendree, 6-1, last weekend.

The Ichabods have 10 returners from the last year and are picked to finish first in the MIAA/GAC Preseason Coaches' Poll.

Tim Hammes leads the way for Washburn. He is 13-1 since September with his only loss coming in the quarterfinals of the ITA Cup. Cas De Ruiter of Harding defeated Hammes, 6-4, 2-6, 6-3.

Hammes and Matthew Earle won the ITA Cup Doubles National Championship and are 11-1 as a doubles pairing.

Vaclav Schneider has reeled off six consecutive victories since defeating Elias Walter of Azusa Pacific in October. He posted straight set victories in two dual matches last week.

Midwestern State is home for a scrimmage against Cowley College on Tuesday and meets Harding for a dual match in Edmond, Oklahoma, on Feb. 14.