Trip to Kansas City up next for Emporia State Tennis

Women's Tennis | 2/16/2024 3:46:00 PM

Emporia State Hornet Men (2-1, 0-0 MIAA)
at Rockhurst Hawks (1-2, 0-0 GLVC)
Saturday, February 17 • 5:30 p.m. • Northland Racquet Club • North Kansas City, Mo.
Emporia State Hornet Women (2-1, 0-0 MIAA)
at Rockhurst Hawks (2-1, 0-0 GLVC)
Saturday, February 17 • 5:30 p.m. • Northland Racquet Club • North Kansas City, Mo.
Up Next: Men at Augustana
Sunday, February 25 • 9:00 a.m. • Huether Tennis Centre • Sioux Falls, S.D.
Women vs. Western New Mexico
Friday, March 1 • 1:00 p.m. • Dallas, Texas

KANSAS CITY HERE WE COME
The Emporia State men and women travel to North Kansas City, Mo. to take on Rockhurst in non-conference action.
 
LAST SERVE
The Emporia State men's tennis team opened the home portion of their schedule with a 6-1 win over Ottawa on Thursday at the Kossover Family Tennis Center.
The Hornets got out in front early with a 6-2 win at #2 doubles by Anton Sarunic and Diego Calvo.  The Braves evened things up with a 7-6 (8-6) win at #1 before Harrison Brown and Harris Kossover secured the doubles point with a 6-3 win.
Sergio Vera Martin used a 6-1, 6-2 victory at #2 singles to put the Hornets up 2-0.  Emporia State took a 3-0 lead with a 6-4, 0-6, 1-0 (10-8) win at #1 By Anton Sarunic. The Braves picked up their first point with a win at #4 before Mostafa Elbansy clinched the win with a come from behind 2-6, 6-0, 1-0 (10-8) win at #3 singles.  Brown and Kossover grabbed the final points for Emporia State with a 6-1, 6-3 win at #5 by Brown followed by a come from behind 3-6, 6-3, 1-0 (10-8) win at #6 by Kossover.
 
The Emporia State women fell 5-2 at Drury on February 11 in Springfield, Mo.
The Hornets got a 6-4 win by Anastasia Pesic and Giovanna Ferreira at #2 doubles but Drury took the other two matches to secure the doubles point. Lilie Bizouerne won 6-0, 7-6 at #4 singles and Pesic won by retirement at #5 to give the Hornets their two points.

THE COACHES
John Blackburn is 2-1 in his first season as the head men's coach and Director of Tennis at Emporia State. He spent the past eight seasons as the head coach at NCAA Division III Methodist University in Fayetteville, N.C. He went 117-58 overall with a 54-4 record in conference play, winning three regular season conference championships, two conference tournament championships and made two NCAA Tournament appearances under his leadership. He was also a head coach at Eastern Illinois, Coker College and Palm Beach Atlantic.
Former Hornet CeCe Peyroche is 0-2 in her first full season as the permanent coach of the Emporia State women's program. She took over as the interim coach for both teams in December of 2022. She went 6-9 with the men's team and 5-13 in women's action last year. Peyroche was 23-15 in singles play during her three years as a Hornet before moving into the graduate assistant position last year.  

A LOOK AT THE HORNETS
The Hornet men are 2-1 on the season. They opened up with a 4-0 win over Maryville before getting edged 4-3 by Drury with both matches in Springfield, Mo. They defeated Ottawa 6-1 in their last outing
Mostafa Elbasnaly has begun the season with three wins at the #3 singles position. Anton Sarunic and Sergio Vera Martin are both 2-1 on the season.  Diego Calvo, Harrison Brown and Harris Kossover have all picked up a win in singles during the first three duals.
The Hornets have won the doubles point in all of their duals so far this year. Brown is undefeated at the #3 position, teaming twice with Elvin Selimovic and once with Kossover. Sarunic and Calvo are 2-1 at #2 doubles while Elbasnaly and Vera Martin have split two matches at the #1 position.
The Emporia State women are 0-2 on the season, falling 4-3 to Maryville and 5-2 at Drury last weekend in Springfield, Mo.
Anastasia Pesic it 2-0 on the year with a win at #4 singles against Maryville and a win by retirement at #5 against Drury.  Lilie Bizouerne and Giovanna Ferreira also have wins in singles action.
The Hornets won the doubles point against Maryville with wins by he doubles teams of Paige Stranghoner and Lilie Bizourne at #2, and Caroline Henry and Andrea Santiago at the #3 position. The duo of Pesic and Ferreira picked up a win at #2 against Drury.
 
KNOW THE FOE
The Rockhurst men are 1-2 overall. Last fall they defeated William Jewell 7-0 but have lost both spring matches – 4-3 to Colorado Mesa and 4-2 to Neb.-Kearney last weekend in Kearney, Neb.
The Hawk women are 2-1 overall. They defeated William Jewell 6-1 in the fall and then won 6-1 over Colorado Mesa to start the spring season before falling 4-1 at Neb.-Kearney last weekend.

UP NEXT
The Hornet men travel to Sioux Falls, S.D. to open up MIAA/GAC North Division play on Sunday, February 25.  The Emporia State women are not in action again until March 1 when the travel to Dallas, Texas for a neutral site match with Western New Mexico.