TULSA, Okla. – Missouri State women's tennis triumphed over Oral Roberts with a 5-2 scoreline on Friday at The Michael D. Case Tennis Center.

The Bears needed to bounce back from yesterday's loss against Tulsa and did so splendidly. Missouri State came out firing from the get-go against the Golden Eagles, taking out all three matches in the doubles. The number one Bear pairing of Lucy Latham and Matilde Ercoli secured the doubles point with a brilliant 7-6 (6) win over Ava Goodwell and Celia Franzin.

The singles performance from Missouri State secured the victory, with courts 1-4 all claiming wins.

In the number one position, Bears' team captain Latham fended off opponent Franzin with a straightforward 6-1, 6-1 victory.

On court four, Ercoli was the next singles winner with a hard-fought 6-4, 6-3 win against Cassie Cervantes.   

In the second position, team caption Billur Gonlusen battled hard in a three set victory over Miranda Noor, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.

The final victory for Missouri State came on court three in the closest possible three-set thriller. Bear Leni Eichner stepped up to the challenge to overcome Cervantes, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (4), 10-4.

"We had a great opening weekend, and I was really pleased with how our group competed. Against ORU, our emphasis was putting pressure on them early in doubles and maintaining our focus throughout the entire match, regardless of the score. I thought we did a great job responding to that challenge. We battled through several three-set matches and stayed locked in during key moments. I'm excited to see how this team continues to grow over the next few matches," stated head coach Austin Hale.

Results
Missouri State (2-1) – 5, Oral Roberts (1-2) – 2

Doubles 
1. Matilde Ercoli/Lucy Latham (MSU) def. Ava Goodlell/Cecilia Franzin (ORU), 7-6 (6)

2. Elsie Jackson/Raluca Puscas (MSU) def. Miranda Noor/Abby Wise (ORU), 6-2
3. Leni Eichner/Billur Gonlusen (MSU) def. Natalia Perez/Milana Bozhko (ORU) 6-0

Order of Finish: 3, 2, 1

Singles
1. Lucy Latham (MSU) def. Cecilia Franzin (ORU) , 6-3, 6-1
2. Billur Gonlusen (MSU) def. Miranda Noor (ORU), 4-6, 6-4, 6-3
3. Leni Eichner (MSU) def. Ava Goodell (ORU), 6-7 (4), 7-6 (4), 10-4
4. Matilde Ercoli (MSU) def. Cassie Cervantes (MSU), 6-2, 6-2
5. Abby Wise (ORU) def. Elsie Jackson (MSU), 6-2, 3-6, 6-2
6. Natalia Perez (ORU) def. Leticia Calduraro (MSU), 7-5, 6-0

Order of Finish: 6, 1, 4, 5, 2, 3

The Missouri State women's tennis team is back in action on Wednesday, Jan. 28 at 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. against Arkansas in Fayetteville, Ark.

#WeAreMoState