Women's Tennis Travels to Missouri State, Murray State Over Weekend

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Following a Missouri Valley Conference-opening victory last Sunday, the Belmont University women's tennis team makes its first road trip in the Valley this weekend traveling to Missouri State and Murray State. The Bruins (4-10, 1-0 MVC) take on the Bears (5-10, 0-2 MVC) Saturday afternoon in Springfield, Missouri, before facing the Racers (8-6, 2-0 MVC) Sunday afternoon in Murray, Kentucky. Both matches are scheduled for a 1 p.m. first serve.
 
Saturday's match at the Cooper Tennis Complex against Missouri State will have live scoring, which can be found at BelmontBruins.com.
 
Belmont edged Valparaiso 4-3 last weekend to begin MVC play as graduate student Meredith Roberts clinched the match at No. 5 singles with a three-set win. Last October, the Bruins began their fall schedule at the MVC Individual Championships at the Cooper Tennis Complex in Springfield, Missouri, where freshman Mariia Hlahola captured the singles championship at the top flight and sophomore Anastasiya Zholdakova teamed up with Roberts to claim the No. 3 doubles title.
 
The top doubles tandem of Hlahola and Zholdakova moved up a spot to No. 71 in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) national rankings released Tuesday. The duo is 5-3 on the season in dual matches.
 
Belmont was picked to win the Valley in its first year in the league, garnering six first-place votes from conference head coaches.
 
Saturday's match will be the first-ever meeting between the Bruins and the Bears. Hlahola defeated Missouri State's Diana Cabrera 6-2, 6-3 to win the No. 1 singles crown at the MVC Individual Championships last fall.
 
The Bears were picked eighth out of nine teams in the MVC preseason poll after going winless last season (0-19). Missouri State enters the weekend having lost three straight, including suffering 4-3 and 6-1 setbacks respectively to Bradley and Illinois State last weekend at home.
 
On April 1 last year, Belmont got past visiting Murray State 4-3. After securing the doubles point, the Bruins won three of the top four singles matches, including a straight-set victory by Zholdakova at the fourth spot.
 
The Racers, who have won four in a row, began MVC action last weekend with home wins over Valparaiso (5-2) and Bradley (7-0). Also in its first season in the Valley, Murray State was picked fifth in the preseason predicted order of finish.
 
In its last trip to Murray, Kentucky, for a dual match on March 20, 2021, Belmont was handed a 5-2 loss by the host Racers.
 
Up Next
The Bruins return to the Music City next weekend to host the University of Illinois Chicago on Sunday, April 2. First serve from the Beaman Family Tennis Complex is slated for 10 a.m.
 
Follow Belmont women's tennis on social media – @BelmontWTennis on Twitter and @belmontwtennis on Instagram – for complete coverage of the Bruins. Stay up to date with all of Belmont's athletic programs via the official app of the Belmont Bruins, available both in the Apple App Store and on Google Play.