Emporia State Tennis Heads to Missouri for Key MIAA Duals

Women's Tennis | 4/16/2025 11:40:00 PM

Emporia State Hornet Women (7-8, 2-3 MIAA)
at Missouri Western Griffon Women (4-9, 1-5 MIAA)
Thursday, April 17 | 2:00 p.m. | Noyes Tennis Courts| St. Joseph, Mo.
Emporia State Hornet Women (7-8, 2-3 MIAA)
at #49 Northwest Missouri Bearcat Women (10-7, 5-1 MIAA)
Friday, April 18 | 1:00 p.m. | Frank Grube Courts | Maryville, Mo.
#17 Emporia State Hornet Men (10-5, 2-2 MIAA)
at #49 Northwest Missouri Bearcat Men (11-7, 3-0 MIAA)
Friday, April 18 | 1:00 p.m. | Frank Grube Courts | Maryville, Mo.
Up Next:  Arkansas-Fort Smith
Complete Notes in pdf
Women: Friday, April 25 | 10:00 a.m. | Kossover Family Tennis Complex | Emporia, Kan.
Men: Friday, April 25 | 2:00 p.m. | Kossover Family Tennis Complex | Emporia, Kan.

DOWN THE STRETCH
Emporia State hits the road for a key stretch that could determine the MIAA Tournament field as well as seeding. .

LAST TIME OUT
Women
In a dual that saw the deciding match of doubles go to a tiebreaker and four singles matches reach a third set, #7 Washurn defeated Emporia State 5-2 in Topeka.
WU's Peyton Koper and Leo Floeth defeated ESU's Giovanna Ferreira and Yuliya Klimova 6-1.  The Hornets came back with a 6-4 win at #2 by Perla Conde and Lilie Bizouerne to even the doubles.  Paige Stranghoner and Anrea Santiago took the Ichabod's Maddie Shelley and Renske Ubachs to  tie breaker before falling 7-6 (7-5) to give WU the early 1-0 lead.
Washburn got a win at #5 to go up 2-0 before Bizouerne took a come from behind 0-6, 6-3, 6-2 win at #4 singles to get Emporia State on the board. The Ichabods took a 3-1 lead as Saajida Razick defeated Conde 6-3, 6-4 at #3 singles. The remaining three singles matches all went to a third set.  Ferreira fell 6-1, 4-6, 6-2 to 15th ranked Ubachs to clinch the dual for Washburn.  Shelley won 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 at #6 over Stranghoner to make it 5-1 before Klimova posted a 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5) win at #2 to make the final score 5-2.
Men
The #40 Emporia State men took a 6-1 win over Augustana.
Hachem Fahem and Roko Kacer started with a 6-3 win at #3 doubles.  ESU clinched the first point with a win at #1 when Alexis Mattenberger and Gwendal Mazuay, who are ranked #45, posted a 7-6 (7-2) win over #21 Henry Dornbusch and Conrad Koch to take a 1-0 lead.  Anton Sarunic and Luke West finished out the sweep with a 7-6 (7-0) win at the #2.
Singles started with a top 25 battle between #17 Sarunic and #25 Dornbusch. Dornbusch evened the dual for the Vikings with a 7-5, 6-0 win at #1 singles.  Mostafa Elbasnaly put the Hornets back on top with a 7-0, 7-5 win at #2 singles before Diego Calvo won 6-4, 6-3 at #4 to give Emporia State a 3-1 lead.  Mattenberger clinched the dual win with a 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 win at #3 singles.  The Hornets closed out the dual with a 6-1, 6-3 win by Duvan Santiago Torres at #6 and a 6-6, 6-3 win by Fahem at #5 singles. 

COACHES
John Blackburn is 22-13 in his second season as the head men's coach and Director of Tennis at Emporia State. He spent the previous 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. He was also a head coach at Eastern Illinois, Coker College and Palm Beach Atlantic. 
Former Hornet CyCy Peyroche is 12-20 in her second 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 as the interim coach. Peyroche was 23-15 in singles play during her three years as a Hornet before moving into the graduate assistant position.  

QUICK LOOK AT THE HORNETS
Women
Emporia State is 7-8 on the season, 2-3 in the MIAA. The Hornets are 5-1 at home this season against four year schools with two exhibition wins against junior colleges at the Kossover Family Tennis Center. They have gone 1-3 this spring against nationally ranked teams with a 4-3 win over then #38 Rockhurst on March 8, a 5-2 loss to then #31 UT-Tyler on March 18, a 5-2 loss at #15 Neb.-Kearney on April 4 and a 5-2 loss to #11 Washburn last week.
Giovanna Ferreira has a 6-8 mark at #1 singles this spring and is 10-15 overall with a win over the #9 player in the nation earlier this spring. Perla Conde is 14-10 overall,  9-5 in the spring with an 8-3 record at #3 singles and was named MIAA Female Athlete of the Week on March 12. Lilie Bizouerne is 8-6 this spring with a 3-2 mark at #3 singles, 5-4 record at #4 and is 10-13 overall. She was the MIAA Athlete of the Week earlier this spring. Anastasia Pesic is 10-6 overall and 8-5 this spring, 6-4 at #5 and 2-1 at #4 singles. Paige Stranghoner is 15-9 overall and has a spring record of 7-7, 6-7 at the #6 position. Sheriden Wichman is 6-5 this spring with matches at the #3, #4, and #5 spots. She is 11-11 overall. Yuliya Klimova is 5-9 at #2 singles and 0-3 at the #1 spot this spring and is 9-15 overall. 
The women have used 11 different doubles combinations this spring. The team of Conde and Bizouerne is 5-2 this spring with a 4-1 mark in MIAA play. Klimova and Pesic are 6-4 this spring with a 4-1 mark at #3 doubles. Conde and Wichman are 5-2 in the spring with a 3-2 mark at the #2 spot. Bizouerne and Stranghoner have played nine matches at the #1 position with a 3-6 record.
Men
The Emporia State men are 10-5 on the season and ranked #37 in the nation. The Hornets are undefeated at home this season. They have gone 2-4 against nationally ranked teams. 
The Hornets are led by Anton Sarunic who is 16-5 overall this year with a 9-3 mark this spring in dual competition at the #1 slot. He is ranked #17 nationally in the individual singles rankings. Mostafa Elbasnaly is 15-9 overall with a 10-6 record in spring duals with six wins at #2 and two wins each at #1 and #3 singles. Alexis Mattenberger is 17-7 overall with a 12-4 mark in duals, with a 4-0 mark at the #6 position, 4-4 at #3, 2-0 at #2, and wins at #4 and #5.  Roko Kacer is 3-3 in spring duals, going 2-1 at #5 and splitting two matches at #6. Hachem Kacer is 6-5 this spring with a 3-0 mark at #6 singles. Duvan Santiago Torres is 13-6 overall and has gone 8-2 this spring with three wins at #5 singles. Diego Calvo is 16-8 overall going 2-0 at #3 and having a 7-3 mark at the #4 singles position this spring. 
Mattenberger and Gwendal Mazuay are 11-6 on the spring in doubles going 4-0 at #3, 5-5 at #1 and 2-1 at the #2 position and are ranked #36 in the nation. Sarunic and Luke West are 7-8 this spring with a 4-4 record at #2 and 3-4 mark at the #1 position. Elbasnaly and Fahem are 3-3 in doubles this spring with a 3-1 mark at the #2 spot. 

KNOW THE FOES
The Missouri Western women are 4-9, 1-5 in the MIAA. Christina Granero Boj is ranked #45 in the nation with a 13-5 record in singles play.
The Northwest Missouri women are 10-7, 5-1 in the MIAA and ranked #49 in the nation. Alva Norberg is ranked #46 in the nation with a 13-5 record while Marielena Muench is 10-9 and ranked #61 nationally.
The Northwest Missouri men are 11-7 overall, 3-0 in the MIAA and ranked #49 in the nation. Dominik Wijntjes is ranked #21 in the nation at 15-4 while Antonin Leborne is 13-4 to rank #75 in the nation.

LAST TIME VS MISSOURI WESTERN WOMEN
The Emporia State women's tennis team saw their season come to a close with a 6-1 loss to #41 Missouri Western at the Kossover Family Tennis Center.
Emporia State's Sheriden Wichman and Perla Conde Vendrell won 6-2 at #3 doubles as the Griffons #2 team was picking up a 6-2 win to start the dual.  The Hornets Lilie Bizouerne and Paige Stranghoner battled MWSU's Anya Chavez and Greta Langiu before falling 7-5 at #1 to award the doubles point to Western.
The Griffons then won five of the six singles matches to clinch the victory.  Wichman picked up the lone win for Emporia State, winning 6-3, 1-6, 1-0 (10-4) at #6 singles.
SERIES HISTORY
The  Hornets and Griffons have split their last 12 meetings  but Missouri Western has won four straight. The last Emporia State win was a 5-2 victory on March 22, 2019.

LAST TIME VS NORTHWEST MISSOURI WOMEN
The Hornet women had an early 2-0 lead but could not pull out the win in a 5-2 loss to the 17th ranked Bearcats.
Emporia State started out with an advantage as Northwest only had five players available to play.  After the Bearcats won 6-1 at #2 doubles, Lili Bizouerne and Paige Stranghoner won 6-2 at #1 to give the Hornets the doubles point and a 2-0 lead.
Sofia Pignataro got the first point for NWMSU with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Lili Bizouerne at #2 singles. Perla Conde would go three sets with Carolina Oliveira before falling 4-6, 7-5, 6-0 as the Bearcats evened the dual at 2-2. ESU's Giovanna Ferreira would go three sets with Marielena Muench at #3 singles before NWMSU pulled ahead with a 6-7 (3-7), 6-0, 6-3 win. Angelina Gnezdilova made it three, three set matches in singles play as she fell 6-2, 6-7 (4-7) 6-2 to Laura Prieto Sieiro at #4 singles to clinch the dual for the Bearcats.  Angela per Moreno got the final point for NWMSU with a 6-4, 6-0 win at #5 over Anastasia Pesic.
SERIES HISTORY
The  Hornets have won three duals from the Bearcats since 2006. The last Emporia State win was a 5-4 victory on March 29, 2014. The Hornets also won 5-4 on March 17, 2011 and posted an 8-1 victory on March 17, 2006.

LAST TIME VS NORTHWEST MISSOURI MEN
In men's action #40 Northwest Missouri edged out Emporia State 4-3.
The Bearcats won the first two completed matches to take the doubles point, but Anton Sarunic and Sergio Vera Martin were able to pull out a 7-6 (7-3) win at #1 doubles.
The teams would then split the six singles matches. Northwest Missouri went up 2-0 with a 6-2, 6-2 win by Mason Meier over Vera Martin at #3 singles.  In a battle of top 50 players Emporia State's Anton Sarunic, who is ranked #48 nationally, fell to 25th ranked Area Zamurri 6-3, 2-6, 6-0 to give Northwest Missouri a 3-0 lead. The Hornets Mostafa Elbasnaly would go three sets with Michael Delebois before falling 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 at #2 singles to clinch the dual for the Bearcats.  Harrison Brown won 6-3, 6-1 at #5 while Diego Calvo earned a 6-2, 7-6 (9-7) win at #4 and Hachem Fahem finished the dual with a 6-3, 7-5 win at #6 singles for the Hornets.
SERIES HISTORY
Emporia State has not defeated the Northwest Missouri men since the MIAA went to dual meet competition.

HOW TOUGH IS IT?
Six of the top 50 men's teams in the nation are from the MIAA/GAC with four North Division and two South Division teams. Washburn is ranked #7, Emporia State is #37, Neb.-Kearney is #38, and Northwest Missouri at #49 out of the North while the South has Harding at #15 and Ouachita Baptist at #45 nationally. Nine of the 11 member schools have at least one singles player ranked while six have a doubles team nationally ranked. Eight of the current 11 members of the MIAA/GAC alliance have made multiple NCAA Tournament appearances.
The MIAA has two of the top 20 and three total ranked women's teams in NCAA Division II with Washburn ranked #9, Neb.-Kearney at #19 and Northwest Missouri at #49 this week. Six MIAA women's teams have been ranked this spring with five of the six being in the rankings multiple times. Seven schools have at least one nationally ranked singles player. Four of the six teams in the Central Regional last year were from the MIAA and seven of the current ten members of the association have made multiple NCAA Tournament appearances.

EMPORIA STATE IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
The Emporia State women have a 5-5 record in five appearances in the NCAA Tournament, highlighted by a trip to the Sweet 16 in 2007. They made their first appearance in 2005 with a 5-1 win over Colorado Mesa before falling 5-1 to Northwest Missouri in the second round.  The Hornets beat Washburn 5-3 in the first round of 2006 and dropped a 5-4 decision to Northwest Missouri in the second round.  In 2007 they picked up a 5-1 win over Colorado Mesa and a 5-2 win over Neb.-Omaha before falling 5-0 to eventual national champion BYU-Hawaii in the round of 16. ESU completed a five year run of appearances with a 5-3 win over Washburn and a 5-2 loss to Northwest Missouri in 2008.  The most recent NCAA tourney was a 5-0 loss to Augustana in 2014. 
The Hornet men have made two appearances in the NCAA Tournament. They lost 5-1 in the first round to Washburn in 2007 and to Northwest Missouri 5-1 in the first round in 2008.
 
UP NEXT
Both the Emporia State men and women will play host to Ark.-Fort Smith on Friday, April 25 at the Kossover Family Tennis Complex. The women will start at 10:00 a.m. with the men scheduled to begin at 2:00 p.m.