Missouri State (4-7) vs. Missouri Western State (5-1) | vs. Cowley College (3-4)
Dates	Friday, March 10, 1 p.m. (MWSU) | Saturday, March 11, 2 p.m. (CC)
Location	Springfield, Mo.
Site	Cooper Tennis Complex
Season Stats	Season Stats
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Dual Details
Missouri State women's tennis (4-7) returns home for duals versus Missouri Western State (5-1) Friday at 1 p.m. and Cowley College (3-4) Saturday at 2 p.m. Both contests will take place at Cooper Tennis Complex, and admission is free.

Baseline Knowledge

• Missouri State secured its first dual victory under first-year head coach Ellie Burger on Friday, Feb. 3, against Drury, 4-3. On the following day, the Bears followed up the DU victory with a win against Eastern Illinois, 5-2. MSU's first victories of the season snapped a 21-dual losing streak dating back to 2021. 
• The following weekend, MSU followed up its first victories of the season by splitting two home duals. Against Kansas City (Feb. 10), Juliette Robinson (No. 3) and Silva Avakian (No. 6) picked up wins in singles, however the Bears fell to the Roos, 4-2. Versus Central Arkansas (Feb 12), Missouri State found itself down 3-1. However, the home Bears rattled off three straight victories in flights four through six to secure the dual, 4-3. The duo of Sandra Lukacova and Robinson earned a victory in No. 3 doubles, while Robinson (No. 3), Lukacova (No. 4), Alyson Piskulic (No. 5) and Avakian (No. 6) all secured wins in singles. Robinson's performance in both duals resulted in her being named Missouri Valley Conference Singles Player of the Week, announced by the league on Feb.15. 
• Next, against Oral Roberts (Feb. 17), MoState fell behind 4-0 after the doubles point and first three singles points all ended in the Golden Eagles' favor. However, the Bears showed fight and secured the remaining three matches to bring the score to 4-3. Mary Houston (No. 3), Lukacova (No. 4) and Piskulic (No. 5) all picked up wins in singles. 
• During a three-dual span between Feb. 23-25, the Bears began the stretch with a victory against Southwest Baptist, 4-3, to close out its six-dual home stretch. MoState found itself with its back against the wall, down 3-2 against the Bearcats. The Bears came roaring back, winning the Nos. 4-5 singles matches to secure the dual. Piskulic (No. 5) took down SBU's Polina Paunova, 6-4, 6-2, and Lukacova (No. 4) defeated SBU's Lola Cincunegui, 6-3, 6-4, to complete the comeback. Two days following, Missouri State battled Arkansas and No. 18 Oklahoma. The Bears fell short in both duals against the power-five representatives. Over the span of both duals, Missouri State players faced four opponents ranked inside the ITA Collegiate Tennis Rankings top 100, including three doubles teams and one singles player. 
• Last week, MSU took on SEMO in back-to-back duals, falling to the Redhawks, 7-0, in both Saturday and Sunday's contests.
• Through nine duals, Piskulic holds a team-best singles record of 6-4, maintaining a perfect 2-0 legder in the No. 6 slot while going 4-4 in the No. 5 position. Lukacova is near the .500 mark in dual singles, carrying a 5-6 ledger into this weekend's matchups. The sophomore holds a 2-1 mark in the No. 5 slot and a 3-5 record in the No. 4 position. Avakian carries a 3-5 dual singles record, while Diana Cabrera and Robinson are both 3-6.
• In doubles, the pair of Cabrera and Piskulic hold an even 4-4 record in duals, with all but one match occurring at the No. 2 position. Meanwhile, the tandem of Robinson and Lukacova are 4-5 in duals, all at the No. 3 slot. 
• In the fall, Cabrera finished second in No. 1 singles at the 2022 Missouri Valley Conference Individual Championships. The doubles pair of Avakian/Houston grabbed fourth in No. 3 doubles, and Avakian also finished fifth in No. 6 singles. 
• Overall, Missouri State players are 44-75 in singles matches and 19-32 in doubles contests. In duals, MSU holds a 23-37 singles record and a 10-17 ledger in doubles. 
• The Bears were picked eighth out of nine teams in the 2023 MVC Preseason Poll, receiving 22 points.

 
Coach Ellie Burger

• Before becoming head coach on June 1, Burger played tennis for the Bears from 2017-21 and was a three-time All-MVC performer. She ranks third in program history for career singles winning percentage (.782) with a 43-18 career record.  
• Originally from Chesterfield, Mo., Burger captained the 2020-21 MoState tennis squad, leading the Bears to a 12-10 overall record and a runner-up finish in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. She was also a key part of the 2018 MVC Tournament championship squad that advanced to the NCAA Tournament under coach Mallory Weber.  
• Individually, Burger won a conference title in 2019 at No. 3 singles, becoming just the 13^th Bear to win a singles flight in the Missouri Valley. She also earned All-MVC honors in 2018, 2019 and 2021, and was named as the Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Female Student-Athlete of the Year by her fellow MSU student-athletes in 2020-21.

2023 MVC Preseason Poll

1. Belmont (6)

2. Illinois State

3. UIC (3)

4. Drake

5. Murray State

6. Valparaiso

7. Bradley

8. Missouri State

9. UNI

 
Series History (based on information available)
Based on the information available, it will be the first all-time meeting between Missouri State and both opponents.
 
Looking Ahead
After the weekend duals, Missouri State opens MVC play at home next Saturday and Sunday (March 18-19) against Bradley (Saturday at 9 a.m.) and Illinois State (Sunday at 10 a.m.) at Cooper Tennis Complex in Springfield. Admission is free.