Feb. 24, 2016
Schedule | Live Results | Match Notes | Follow @MSUBearsTennis
SPRINGFIELD - The Missouri State women's tennis team returns to Springfield after a nine-match road stretch when the Bears host Saint Louis at 1 p.m. Friday, Feb. 26, at Cooper Tennis Complex. The Bears are scheduled to play three consecutive matches at Cooper, with two duals taking place in three days against Nebraska Omaha and Southeast Missouri State from March 4-6.
Last Weekend Overview
MSU went 1-2 over a three-day span, dropping 6-1 duals to UT Arlington and Sam Houston State on back-to-back days in Arlington, before defeating Arkansas Pine Bluff 4-0 to end the weekend.
The Bears picked up a point a point in singles play behind Faty Khamissi at UT Arlington on Friday, then earned its lone point with two wins in doubles play versus Sam Houston State Saturday. MSU swept all four singles matches competed in on Sunday in Pine Bluff to top the Golden Lions.
Khamissi Making an Impression
Faty Khamissi continues to shine in singles for the Bears. The freshman recorded Missouri State's lone point in a 6-1 loss to UT Arlington Friday, Feb. 19. Despite a loss in doubles with playing partner Phoebe Boeschen, Khamissi rebounded to win in a third-set match tiebreaker over Carla Carden Vives at No. 5 singles. It was her team-leading fourth of the spring.
Breaking Through in Doubles
The Bears picked up their first team point earned in doubles this season Saturday, Feb. 20, versus Sam Houston State.
MSU's Faty Khamissi and Abbey Belote earned a 6-2 win at No. 3 over Maddie Mortimore and Caitlyn Mitchell to tie the doubles matchups at one apiece. The No. 2 doubles slot went to a tiebreaker, but MSU's Phoebe Boeschen and Anelisse Torrico Moreno topped SHSU's Fabienne Gettwart and Khee Yen Wee, 8-6, to give MSU the point.
Back in The Win Column
Four MSU players earned straight set sweeps in singles to give the Bears their second dual victory of the season, 4-0, over Arkansas Pine Bluff Sunday, Feb. 21. Ema Turudija, Miranda Poile, Ekaterina Donetskova and Abbey Belote each earned straight set 6-0, 6-0 victories over the Golden Lions (0-10) in Nos. 1-4 singles.
About Saint Louis
The Saint Louis Billikens are 10-3 overall this season with the team's lone losses to No. 39 Wichita State (6-1), No. 36 Arkansas (5-2) and Missouri (4-3). The Billikens are currently on a five-match winning streak with each win coming by a 7-0 margin. Saint Louis is led by 15th-year head coach Jonathan Zych who has seven different players with winning records in singles play.
Missouri State and Saint Louis have met six previous times and each have won three duals in the all-time series. The Billikens won 5-2 last season on Feb. 18 in a matchup in O'Fallon, Illinois.
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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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