Friday, March 9
Columbia, Mo.
3:30 PM
University of Missouri
vs
(#4) Vanderbilt
@MizzouTennis Wraps Up Homestand With Pair of Matches This Weekend
3/8/2018 9:37:00 AM | Tennis
Tigers face No. 4 Vanderbilt Friday, No. 17 Kentucky Sunday
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The Mizzou Tennis team (11-4, 0-1 SEC) concludes its 10-match, five-weekend homestand this Friday and Sunday with a pair of Southeastern Conference matches. The Tigers welcome No. 4 Vanderbilt on Friday at 3:30 p.m., before facing No. 17 Kentucky on Sunday at 11 a.m. at the Mizzou Tennis Complex. Please note that the Vanderbilt start time is a last-minute change from previously published schedules.
LOOKING BACK: TIGERS FALL IN SEC OPENER
- Sophomore Mackenzy Middlebrooks (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) won her 18th consecutive match Friday at the Mizzou Tennis Complex, but it wasn't enough as the Tigers lost their Southeastern Conference opener to No. 27 Arkansas, 4-1.
- Arkansas picked up 6-2 and 6-4 wins at No. 2 and No. 1 doubles, respectively, to win the doubles point, then took a 2-0 lead with a 6-0, 6-2 win at No. 1 singles.
- Middlebrooks then closed the gap to 2-1 by cruising to a 6-2, 6-0 win over Mia Jurasic at No. 3. With the win, Middlebrooks remained undefeated in dual-match competition this season at 12-0. Five of those wins have come at No. 4, and seven have come at her current No. 3 position.
MACK'S ON FIRE
- Sophomore Mackenzy Middlebrooks (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) has the hottest singles streak going, not just on the team, but in the entire Southeastern Conference.
- Dating back to the fall season, she's won her last 18 singles decisions, and is undefeated in dual-match play (12-0). Both of those numbers are tops in the SEC.
- 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' 18 singles wins currently leads the team, as does her 12-0 singles record in dual play (7-0 at No. 3, 5-0 at No. 4).
DOUBLING UP
- Doubles continues to be the strength of the Tigers, as Mizzou has won the doubles point in 12 of 15 matches this season. In all, Mizzou's doubles teams are 42-26 (.618) on the year, and 27-13 (.675) in dual play.
- Middlebrooks and freshman Ellie Wright (Gainesville, Fla.) lead the way with 16 doubles wins each on the season. Thirteen of those have come with each other, including a 12-1 mark in dual play.
- The duo are currently riding an eight-match winning streak.
- Senior co-captain Clare Raley (Atlanta, Ga.) and sophomore Serena Nash (Bradford, England) are close behind with 13 total doubles wins, including 10 together.
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, Marta Oliveira (Lisbon, Portugal) 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 nearly half (30) of the Tigers' 68 singles wins this season, and have had a hand in 39 of the team's 42 doubles victories.
SCOUTING VANDERBILT
- The Commodores are 9-2 (2-0) on the season after 4-1 and 4-0 wins over No. 16 Auburn and No. 37 Alabama, respectively.
- VU features four players ranked among the ITA's top 100 singles players: Fernanda Contreras (No. 5), Astra Sharma (No. 22), Christina Rosca (No. 27) and Amanda Meyer (No. 98).
- The 'Dores also have their top two doubles duos ranked among the top 30: Rosca/Emma Kurtz (No. 20) and Contreras/Sharma (No. 26)
- Mizzou and VU both competed in the Puerto Rico Fall Classic, relocated to Athens, Ga., in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma, back in September during the Tigers' first competition of the season.
SCOUTING KENTUCKY
- The Wildcats are 9-3 (1-1) and split their matches with Alabama (4-3 win) and Auburn (4-3 loss) last weekend.
- UK's top player, Justina Mikulskyte, is No. 122 in the latest ITA singles rankings. The Wildcats' top doubles team, Mami Adachi & Emily Fanning, is ranked No. 40.
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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