Emporia State Tennis Teams Fall at Nationally Ranked Northwest Missouri

April 18, 2025-Emporia State went on the road to nationally ranked Northwest Missouri and both teams came up short. In a battle of top 50 teams the Hornet men fell 4-2 while the Emporia State women dropped a 6-1 decision.
 
#49 Northwest Missouri Men 4, #37 Emporia State 3
The nationally ranked teams had two duals go to a third set and there were two sets that went to a tiebreaker as the #49 Bearcats defeated the #7 Hornets 4-3.
Northwest Missouri's duo of Vini Rodrigues and Bernardo Henriques defeated Emporia State's Roko Kacer and Hachem Fahem 6-3 at #3 doubles.  Anton Sarunic and Luke West evened things for the Hornets with a 7-5 win over Dominik Wijntjes and Antonon Leborne  at #2.  Alexis Mattenberger and Gwendal Mazuay, the #36 ranked doubles team in the nation, gave the Hornets a 1-0 lead with a 7-5 win over Rafal Bednarczuk and Luc Mascitti at #1.
The Bearcats tied the dual at 1-1 when Bednarczuk opened singles play with a 7-5, 6-0 win at #3 over Mattenberger.  Mostafa Elbasnaly put the Hornets back in front with a 6-4, 7-6 (7-2) win over Mascitti at #2 singles. It was a top 25 battle at the #1 singles position between #19 Sarunic and #21 Wijntjes that would go down to a tiebreaker in the third set.  Wijntjes prevailed 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (7-5) to pull the Bearcats into a 2-2 tie.
Bernardo Henriques put the Bearcats ahead 3-2 with a 7-5, 6-4 win over Digo Calvo at #4 singles before Duvan Santiago Torres evened things for the Hornets with a 6-3, 7-5 win over #75 Leborne at #5 to set up a winner take all match at #6. Emporia State's Hachem Fahem and the Bearcats Rodrigues went back and forth until Rodrigues came away with a 7-5, 4-6, 6-2 win to clinch the dual for Northwest Missouri.
 
#49 Northwest Missouri Women 6, Emporia State 1
In a dual that saw three singles matches go to a third set and one doubles decided by tiebreaker, #49 Northwest Missouri came away with a 6-1 victory over Emporia State.
The Bearcats  won the first doubles match 6-4 at #1 before Anastasia Pesic and Sheriden Wichman grabbed a 6-3 win at #3.  Lilie Bizouerne and Perla Conde took Miru Nonaka and Alva Norberg to a tie breaker before falling 7-6 (8-6) at #2 to give Northwest the doubles point.
In singles play #61 Marielena Muench put NWMSU ahead 2-0 with a 6-1, 7-6 (8-6) win at #1 before Conde took a 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 win over Polina Gontaryk at #3 to get Emporia State on the board.  The Bearcats went up 3-1 with a 6-3, 6-2 win at the #2 spot by #46 Norberg over Yuliya Klimova. Bizouerne and Carolina Oliveira would go three sets before the Bearcat clinched the dual with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-0 win at #4 singles.  Pesic fell 7-5, 6-2 at #5 before Stranghoner went down 6-3, 2-6, 1-0 at #6.
 
The Hornet men will head to Searcy, Ark. for their next match on Wednesday, April 23 at #15 Harding. Both the Emporia State men and women will be back in action on Friday, April 25 when they play host to Arkansas-Fort Smith.  First serve for the women is set for 10:00 a.m. with the men to follow at approximately 2:00 p.m. at the Kossover Family Tennis Center.