April 16, 2015
Schedule | | Match Notes | Follow @MSUBearsTennis
SPRINGFIELD -- The Missouri State women's tennis team heads to Iowa for the final weekend of regular season play as the Bears get set to take on Drake in Des Moines at the Roger Knapp Tennis Center at 1 p.m. Saturday, April 18, and the Northern Iowa Panthers in Waterloo at 10 a.m. Sunday, April 19, at the Black Hawk Tennis Center.
Last Match
Two Bears earned third-consecutive singles wins while two others made comebacks for three-set victories, as Missouri State won its first Missouri Valley Conference women's tennis dual of the season in a 4-3 defeat over Illinois State Sunday, April 12, at Cooper Tennis Complex.
The Redbirds jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the match after clinching the doubles point and earning a victory at No. 6 singles. The Bears responded with freshman Anelisse Torrico Moreno and junior Miranda Poile winning their third-straight matches at No. 4 and No. 5 singles, respectively, to tie the dual at 2-2. MSU junior Ema Turudija was down 3-0 in the third set at the No. 1 slot, but came back by rattling off four straight games and taking her match 6-4, 3-6, 6-4. Sophomore Ekaterina Donetskova sealed the match after dropping her first set at No. 2 singles 6-0, to go on a run and win the next two 7-5, 7-6 (3). It was the first victory for the Bears since Feb. 28 at Nebraska-Omaha.
About Drake
The Drake Bulldogs are 19-4 overall and undefeated in conference play. The Bulldogs have won their last five matches and conclude their season with the contest against the Bears Saturday and a finale versus the No. 32 Wichita State Shockers Sunday.
Eight different players have winning records in singles for the Bulldogs this season. Lea Kozulic (13-0), Maddie Johnson (16-3), Summer Brills (14-3) and Adrienne Jensen (15-4) are among the leaders for Drake this spring in singles. Boyd and Johnson have a 24-6 overall record in doubles as a duo, with a 14-1 mark at the No. 2 spot. The Bulldogs hold a 15-7 edge all-time over the Bears in women's tennis.
About Northern Iowa
The Northern Iowa Panthers are on a four-match win streak and are 14-5 overall heading into the final weekend of play. The Panthers' four straight wins have come against MVC opponents and UNI now sits in third place in the MVC standings. UNI will take on Wichita State Saturday prior to the season finale against MSU Sunday.
The Panthers have six players with winning singles records but are led by No. 1 singles player Erica Medlin who has a 13-6 mark this spring and Jieke Stroobant, who is 17-2 in the No. 3 positions. MSU is 15-4 all-time over UNI.
Torrico Moreno, Poile Playing Tough
Both Anelisse Torrico Moreno and Miranda Poile have winning records in singles and are each on a three-match win streak. The two Bears players, which have competed at No. 4 and No. 5 singles primarily during the season, have beaten their last three opponents from Evansville, Bradley and Illinois each in straight sets. Torrico Moreno currently has an 11-7 singles record which is the best on the team, followed by Poile who improved to .500 this season at 8-8 overall.
MVC Championship on Horizon
The Missouri Valley Conference Women's Tennis Team Championship begins on April 24 in Evansville, Ind. The Bears will join seven other teams vying for the championship in the single-elimination bracket at the Wesselman Tennis Center hosted by the Evansville Purple Aces. The Shockers have won the previous eight MVC titles.
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Check out all the latest news and information on Bears tennis at MissouriStateBears.com and follow @MSUBearsTennis for updates throughout the season.
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