Friday, February 16
Columbia, Mo.
4 PM
University of Missouri
vs
Minnesota
@MizzouTennis Continues Homestand With Friday/Sunday Contests
2/15/2018 8:45:00 AM | Tennis
Mizzou hosts Minnesota Friday, Memphis Sunday
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Fresh off another home weekend sweep, the Mizzou Tennis team (8-1) continues its 10-match homestand this weekend with a pair of matches at the Mizzou Tennis Complex. The Tigers host Minnesota (7-1) on Friday at 4 p.m., then conclude the weekend Sunday with a 1 p.m. match vs. Memphis (5-3).
LOOKING BACK: TIGERS SWEEP TULANE, SDSU
- Last weekend, Mizzou picked up a doubleheader sweep by defeating Tulane by a 4-1 score and sweeping South Dakota State, 5-0.
- The Tigers started off well in both matches, winning the doubles point (more on that below).
- For the second time in as many weekeneds – this time against South Dakota State – sophomore Mackenzy Middlebrooks (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) had the quickest afternoon of any Tiger, partnering with freshman Ellie Wright (Gainesville, Fla.) for a 6-0 doubles win, then whitewashed her way to a 6-0, 6-0 singles triumph.
- Wright won all four of her matches last weekend: Two doubles matches with Middlebrooks, and both of her singles matchups. The singles win vs. SDSU clinched the match victory for Mizzou.
RANKINGS UPDATE: RALEY/NASH AT NO. 49
- Senior co-captain Clare Raley (Atlanta, Ga.) and sophomore Serena Nash (Bradford, England) are ranked at No. 49 in the most-recent Oracle/ITA National Doubles rankings, announced Feb. 7 by Intercollegiate Tennis Association officials.
- The duo is currently 9-2 on the year, 6-1 in dual play, and have won their last six decisions.
- Raley & Nash finished at No. 47 in the ITA Fall Rankings.
DOUBLING UP
- Doubles continues to be the strength of the Tigers, as Mizzou has won the doubles point in all nine matches this season. In all, Mizzou's doubles teams are 34-19 (.642) on the year, and 19-6 (.760) in dual play.
- Raley and Nash lead the way with a total of 12 doubles wins. Nine of those have come with each other, leading to their No. 49 national ranking; Raley has also joined Middlebrooks, while Nash has also paired with freshmen Marta Oliveira (Lisbon, Portugal) and Wright.
- Middlebrooks (Wright and Raley) and Wright (Noback, Nash and Middlebrooks) are close behind with 11 doubles wins on the season.
MACK'S ON FIRE
- Sophomore Mackenzy Middlebrooks (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) has the hottest singles streak going on the team at the moment; dating back to the fall season, she's won her last 12 singles decisions.
- Her streak began after losing her opening match a the ITA Regional Championships in Lawrence, Kan., on Oct. 19. Middlebrooks then roared back through the consolation bracket, winning six straight matches – not dropping a set in the process – in earning the consolation singles title.
- Middlebrooks' 12 singles wins currently leads the team, as does her 6-0 singles record in dual play (5-0 at No. 3, 1-0 at No. 4).
FIVE NEWCOMERS
- Second-year Head Coach Colt Gaston has assembled a mix of veteran talent and young newcomers with this season's roster.
- Four Tigers – Nash, a sophomore transfer from Oklahoma; and freshmen Wright, Oliveira and Ally Noback (Alpharetta, Ga.) – made their team debuts in the fall.
- A fifth – Taylor Gruber (Spicewood, Texas) – signed with Mizzou in November, graduated early from high school and joined the team in January.
- The newcomers have accounted for half (27) of the Tigers' 54 singles wins this season, and have had a hand in 31 of the team's 34 doubles victories.
SCOUTING MINNESOTA
- The Golden Gophers are 7-1 on the season, and are making their first road trip of the Spring this weekend. Minnesota is coming off a Friday 6-1 doubleheader sweep of Marquette and South Dakota, and a Sunday 7-0 win over Drake. UM's only loss is a 4-3 setback to Utah on Feb. 4.
- Several Tigers played Minnesota earlier this Fall at the ITA Central Regional in Lawrence, Kan.:
- Nash picked up a 6-4, 6-4 win over Cammy Frei in the first round;
- Nash & Raley beat Karyna Bihel & Camila Vargas Gomez, 8-5, in the doubles Round of 16;
- Oliveira defeated Bihel, 6-2, 4-6, 11-9, in an exhibition match;
- Middlebrooks won a 7-6, 6-3, decision over Vargas to advance to the consolation finals, which she won later that afternoon.
- Senior Caroline Ryba is 7-1 at No. 1 singles.
- During the dual season, the Gophers are 41-7 (.854) collectively in singles, and 21-3 (.875) in doubles.
SCOUTING MEMPHIS
- The Tigers are 5-3, and are coming off a 2-1 weekend in Ohio. Memphis came back from a 5-2 American Athletic Conference loss at Cincinnati to notch 5-0 and 5-2 wins, respectively, at Miami (Ohio) and Wright State last weekend.
- Memphis was one of three teams that has already played in Columbia this season. The Tigers played in the Mizzou Invitational back in September.
- The tournament was individually-based, so no team dual matches were played.
- Mizzou's doubles teams went 4-1 against Memphis in that tournament, while MU won five out of the eight singles matchups over the course of that weekend.
- Hanna Sohn is 4-3 at No. 1 singles.
- In the dual season, Memphis is 24-18 (.571) in singles, and 17-7 (.708) in doubles.
For all the latest on Mizzou Tennis, stay tuned to mutigers.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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