Men's Tennis | 3/11/2026 10:04:00 AM

Emporia State Hornet Men (5-2)
at #38 Ouachita Baptist Tigers (9-1)
Wednesday, March 11 | 2:00 p.m. 
Ward Tennis Center | Arkadelphia, Ark.
Emporia State Hornet Men (5-2)
at #33 Southern Arkansas Muleriders (5-4)
Thursday, March 12 | 1:00 p.m. 
Live Oak Tennis Courts | Magnolia, Ark.
Complete Notes in pdf
UP NEXT: Men vs. Vassar College | March 17 | Orlando, Fla.
Women vs. Ouachita Baptist | March 14 | Emporia, Kan.

NATURAL STATE ROAD TRIP
The Emporia State men head to Arkansas for a pair of midweek matches at nationally ranked Ouachita Baptist and Southern Arkansas. 

LAST TIME OUT
The Emporia State men fell 6-1 to #36 Harding on Saturday afternoon at the Kossover Family Tennis Center.  Harding started the dual with a 6-3 win at #2 doubles before Emporia State's Luke West and Anton Sarunic got the equalizer with a 6-2 win at the #1 spot.  The Bisons took the doubles point with a 7-5 win by Sebastian DeLasSalas and Luis Agullo over the Hornets Roko Kacer and Gwendal Mazuay at #3. Harding won the first three completed singles matches in straight sets to clinch the dual win.  Diego Calvo went to three sets before falling 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 at #2 singles to DeLasSalas to make it 5-0 Harding. The Bisons took #5 singles before Roko Kacer took a win by retirement at #6 leading 6-2, 4-0.
 
THE COACHES
John Blackburn is 26-18 in his third 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 tourney championships and made two NCAA Tournament appearances. He was also a head coach at Eastern Illinois, Coker College and Palm Beach Atlantic. 

QUICK LOOK AT THE HORNETS
The Hornet men are 5-2 in the spring season. Mostafa Elbasnaly 6-1 in the spring against four year competition going 4-0 at the #2 spot. Roko Kacer is 5-1 in the spring while Diego Calvo is 5-2.
Anton Sarunic ended last season ranked #24 in the nation in NCAA Division II singles, and the team of graduate student Gwendal Mazuay and sophomore Alexis Mattenberger ended last season ranked #45 in the nation in D2 doubles play. Mazuay is currently ranked #73 in the nation in singles.

KNOW THE FOES
Ouachita Baptist 9-1 on the season and ranked #38 in the nation with their lone loss to then #21 Mississippi College. Ramon Strassman is ranked #65 in singles play with the duo of Aaron Osmond and Moritz Buss are ranked #12 in the nation in doubles.
Southern Arkansas is 5-4 on the season and ranked #33 nationally. Three of their four losses are to nationally ranked teams. Frode Neumann is ranked #72 in the nation while the doubles team of Jonas Sommer and Uwe Diehl is ranked #20.

SERIES HISTORY
Emporia State is winless in three previous meetings with Ouachita Baptist. 
LAST TIME VS THE TIGERS
The #49 Hornets fell 4-2 to #36 Ouachita Baptist in the first round of the MIAA/GAC Tournament in Springfield, Mo.
The Tigers duo of Phil Exner and Ramon Strassmann, who are ranked #10 in the nation, opened play with a 6-3 win over the Hornets 40th ranked duo of Gwendal Mazuay and Alexis Mattenberger.  Emporia State's Hachem Fahem and Roko Kacer evened the doubles with a 6-3 win at #3.  Anton Sarunic and Luke West then gave the Hornets the doubles point with a 7-6 (7-5) win at #2 doubles.
Mattenberger put Emporia State up 2-0 with a 6-2, 6-2 win at #3 singles.  Ouachita Baptist would win the next four singles matches to clinch the win and advance to the next round.  
 
SERIES HISTORY
Emporia State is winless in four previous meetings with Southern Arkansas. 
LAST TIME VS THE MULERIDERS
The Hornets were shutout 7-0 by the Muleriders.  Southern Arkansas won all three doubles matches with Lleyton Fosha and Elvin Selimovic finishing the closest at 7-5 in the #3 position. Three of the singles matches went to a third set.  Anton Sarunic fell 6-2, 6-7 (5), 6-3 at #1, Diego Calvin lost 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (5) at #3, and Hachem Fahem went down 3-6, 7-6 (5), 1-0 (10-5 at the #5 slot.

UP NEXT
Emporia State will head to Florida next week for three duals over Spring Break.

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