Jan. 13, 2016

Schedule | Match Notes | Live Results | Follow @MSUBearsTennis

SPRINGFIELD - The Missouri State women's tennis team begins its 2016 dual match schedule at 1 p.m. Friday, Jan. 15, when it takes on No. 39 Wichita State at Cooper Tennis Complex. The match versus the Shockers will be both teams' Missouri Valley Conference openers, with the Bears picking up the rest of their conference slate at the beginning of April.

2015 Dual Schedule Overview
The Bears concluded their 2015 dual schedule last season in the Missouri Valley Conference Team Tennis Championship Quarterfinals. In its first full season back since being discontinued at the end of the 2006 season, the MSU tennis team went 4-17 with victories over IUPUI, South Dakota State, Nebraska Omaha and Illinois State. Highlights from those wins included Mallory Weber's first-career head coaching victory versus IUPUI, a dramatic third set for a 4-3 win at home over SDSU and the Bears' first conference victory since 2006 in the April 12 win over Illinois State.

Then-freshman Anelisse Torrico Moreno led the team with 11 singles victories, which included an eight-match winning streak. Miranda Poile (8), Ema Turudija (7) and Ekaterina Donetskova (6) each followed Torrico Moreno in matches won, while Turudija led MSU in doubles with eight total victories.

Big Upside From Fall Momentum
Weber leads the Bears into their second spring together after already seeing dividends since the program returned a year ago. After capturing just three singles wins during fall tournaments in 2014, MSU captured 15 individual wins during the fall of 2015. Improvements were evident in doubles as well, with the Bears jumping from a .235 fall win percentage in 2014 to .474 this fall.

Experienced Crew Heads Into 2016
The Bears bring back an experienced lineup from a year ago, as six student-athletes return for their second seasons at MSU. Seniors Miranda Poile and Ema Turudija, along with junior Ekaterina Donetskova, serve as upperclassmen for the Bears. All three played singles in every dual in 2015. Anelisse Torrico Moreno joined MSU in January and eventually served as the lone Bear to finish with a winning singles record, while Abbey Belote also played in 16 singles matches as a freshman.

Newcomers Phoebe Boeschen and Faty Khamissi make their MSU spring debuts after solid fall appearances. Boeschen ended the fall with a winning record in both singles and doubles play, while Khamissi won three total matches after playing at the top of the lineup in multiple events.

About Wichita State
The 39th-ranked Shockers open their season at 8 a.m. against Saint Louis in Springfield Friday before taking on MSU. Gabriela Porubin ranks 71st nationally and ninth in the recent ITA Central Region rankings, while Julia Schiller is ranked seventh in the region. Both also combine as the region's seventh-rated doubles team. Wichita State went 24-4 a season ago and advanced to the NCAA Tournament, ending the year ranked No. 41.

Follow the Bears
Check out all the latest news and information on Bears tennis at MissouriStateBears.com and follow @MSUBearsTennis on Twitter for updates throughout the season.

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