Jan. 21, 2016
Schedule | Match Notes | Follow @MSUBearsTennis
SPRINGFIELD - Missouri State heads into its second match of the spring season at Cooper Tennis Complex, as the Bears' women's tennis team hosts Kansas State at 10 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 23. The two teams meet for the second time in two years after the Wildcats defeated the Bears 5-2 in Manhattan, Kansas, a season ago.
Last Match Overview
MSU played in its dual schedule and Missouri Valley conference opener versus No. 39 Wichita State, but was defeated 6-1 by the nationally-ranked Shockers at Cooper Tennis Complex on Friday, Jan. 15.
The Shockers (2-0) opened the match by taking the initial doubles point behind finishes of 6-0, 6-1 and 6-2 in the No. 1-3 doubles slots, respectively.
Wichita State wound up winning five of six singles matches, with MSU earning its lone victory at No. 6 singles behind freshman Faty Khamissi's first collegiate dual win. Seniors Ema Turudija and Miranda Poile played in the No. 1 and No. 4 slots for the Bears, while junior Ekaterina Donetskova competed at the No. 3 position. Sophomore Anelisse Torrico Moreno and freshman Phoebe Boeschen both lost 6-3, 6-3, matches at No. 2 and No. 5 singles.
Freshmen Make Early Impression
Faty Khamissi and Phoebe Boeschen made their dual debuts versus Wichita State and have already made an impact following their opening falls at Missouri State.
Khamissi defeated WSU's Summer Schlotterback 6-3, 6-3, in her collegiate dual opener to pick up the Bears' only victory against the Shockers. Boeschen also had a solid first dual match. Despite falling in straight sets to Luca Pump, Boschen held an early first set lead against the junior who went 12-2 during the 2014-15 season.
Big Upside From Fall Momentum
Head coach Mallory 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.
About Kansas State
The Kansas State Wildcats begin their 2016 dual match schedule against the Bears Saturday morning, then face Evansville in a nonconference match at 3 p.m. at Cooper Tennis Complex. Three KSU student-athletes have winning records following the fall schedule, with Millie Stretton leading the team by heading into spring with a two-match win streak. Three players -- Iva Bago, Sara Castellano and Livia Cirnu -- return from last season's roster with winning singles records.
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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