SPRINGFIELD– The Missouri State women's tennis team will open their Missouri Valley Conference slate this weekend, heading on the road to take on Bradley and Illinois State.

The Bears will face the Braves on Saturday, April 7, at the Courts at River City with first serve set for 1 p.m. On Sunday, April 8, Illinois State will host MSU in a 10 a.m. contest at the Bloomington Tennis Center.

Missouri State, currently third in the MVC with a 5-7 record, finished their non-conference slate with a neutral site match against McNeese State on March 30 in Conway, Ark. Sophomore Alye Darter collected a three-set victory at No. 1 singles in the Bears' 6-1 loss to the Cowgirls.

The Bears are led by junior Fati Khamissi with an 8-4 record at No. 4 singles, while fellow junior Phoebe Boeschen has put together a 7-5 record at in No. 3 singles contests. At No. 2 doubles, Boeschen and senior Anelisse Torrico Moreno have tallied an 8-3 spring record. Darter and freshman Ellie Burger are currently 7-3 at No. 1 doubles for MSU.

Bradley (3-12, 0-1 MVC) opened their MVC schedule on March 31 with a 5-2 loss against Illinois State. The Braves and Bears have faced four similar opponents this season. MSU collected wins over SIUE and Omaha, while BU defeated Western Illinois and both squads fell to Creighton. Missouri State holds a 16-8 series record over Bradley, but the Braves have collected the last three contests in close matches, twice by a score of 4-3 and one at 5-2.

Illinois State (10-8, 1-0), currently at the top of the MVC with pre-season favorite Drake, both with 10 victories under their belts as well as a home league win. The Bears and Redbirds have only faced two of the same opponents this season with ISU collecting wins over Western Illinois and UMKC. Illinois State also holds a 21-6 series lead over Missouri State, including three straight victories over the Bears.

Missouri State squad returns home to host the rest of their MVC slate, first welcoming Valparaiso to Cooper Tennis Complex for a match up on April 14 at 1 p.m.

Missouri State will also host the 2018 MVC Tennis Championship at Cooper Tennis Complex on April 27-29.

For all of the latest information on the Missouri State women's tennis team, visit MissouriStateBears.com or follow @MSUBearsTennis on Twitter and Instagram.