Men's Tennis | 4/23/2026 2:07:00 PM
Emporia State Hornet Women (8-10, 2-5 MIAA)
at Northeastern State RiverHawks (11-8, 4-3 MIAA)
Friday, April 24 | 11:00 a.m.
NSU Tennis Complex | Tahlequah, Okla.
at Ark.-Fort Smith Lions (3-14, 1-6 MIAA)
Saturday, April 25 | 3:00 p.m.
The Hangout Fort Smith | Fort Smith, Ark.
Emporia State Hornet Men (8-8, 2-2 MIAA/GAC North)
at Augustana Vikings (5-9, 1-3 MIAA/GAC North)
Friday, April 24 | 2:00 p.m.
Huether Tennis Centre | Sioux Falls, S.D.
UP NEXT: Men at MIAA Championships
Wednesday, April 29 - Friday, May 1 | Cooper Tennis Complex | Springfield, Mo.
Women MIAA Championships
Friday, May 1 - Sunday, May 3 | Cooper Tennis Complex | Springfield, Mo.
REGULAR SEASON FINALE
The Emporia State tennis teams play their final regular season duals needing wins to advance to the MIAA Tournament.The top six women's teams and the top four men's team in each division will advance to the MIAA Tournament in Springfield, Mo. next week.
LAST SERVE
Emporia State tennis fell to nationally ranked Northwest Missouri in both men's and women's action.
Women NWMSU 6, ESU 1
Giovanna Ferreira highlighted the day for the Hornet women in their loss to the #42 Bearcats. She picked up wins in both doubles and singles on the day.
Ferreira teamed with
Carla Paul Piquer to win 6-4 at #1 doubles over the Bearcats Laura Prieto Sieiro and Polina Agapitova. Northwest Missouri won the other two doubles matches, 6-2 at #2 and 6-3 at #3 to earn the doubles point.
The Bearcats won in straight sets at #4, #3 and #2 singles to clinch the dual before Ferriera won 7-6 (7-5), 3-6, 1-0 (10-6) over Minu Nonaka at #1 singles. NWMSU then won at #5 and #6 to close out the dual.
Men NWMSU 6, ESU 1
The Emporia State men had two sets go to a tiebreaker and another match go to a third set super tiebreak before falling to #50 Northwest Missouri.
The Hornets fell 6-2 at both #1 doubles while
Diego Calvo and
Gwendal Mazuay won a 6-4 decision at #2 but the Hornets dropped a 6-4 loss at #3 to give the Bearcats the 1-0 early lead.
Northwest Missouri won in straight sets at #3 and #1 singles to go up 3-0, with
Mostafa Elbasnaly falling 7-6 (10-8), 6-2 at #1. The Bearcats clinched with a win at #2 as
Anton Sarunic fell 6-2, 7-6 (7-0). Emporia State got a win at #4 singles with
Luke West getting a win when Bernardo Henriques retired with West leading 2-6, 6-4, 3-2 in the third. NWMSU won in straight sets at #6 before
Alexis Mattenberger fell 5-7, 7-5, 1-0 (10-8) at #5 to close out the dual.
THE COACHES
John Blackburn is 29-24 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.
Former Hornet CyCy Peyroche is 22-32 in her third 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 player for ESU.
QUICK LOOK AT THE HORNETS
The Hornet men are 8-8, 2-2 in the MIAA with seven of the losses to nationally ranked teams. They have played 11 of 16 duals on the road.
Anton Sarunic is 5-5 overall and 3-1 at the #2 spot this spring.
Diego Calvo is 11-5 against four year opponents this spring and is 7-2 at the #3 spot.
Luke West is 7-4 on the year with a 4-1 record at the #4 position. West and Sarunic are ranked #31 in the nation this week and are 4-5 at #1 doubles. West has partnered with
Duvan Santiago Torres to go 5-0 in doubles play. Sarunic and Calvo are 3-1 in doubles play with a 2-1 mark at the #1 spot.
The Emporia State women are 8-10, 2-5 in the MIAA this spring season. They have three returners led by all-MIAA performers
Giovanna Ferreira and
Yuliya Klimova along with MIAA A-Game Scholar
Sheriden Wichman. Ferreira is 6-7 overall and 2-0 at #2 singles and 4-7 at #1 this spring while Wichman is 7-9 overall with a 2-1 mark at #3 and 1-0 at #2. Newcomer
Erin Cahill is 10-6 this spring, going 4-1 at #5 singles with wins at #3 and #6 as well. Ferreira and
Carla Paul Piquer are 5-3 at #1 doubles on the year.
KNOW THE FOES
The Northeastern State women are 11-8, 4-3 in the MIAA. Daisy Barrow is 14-5 in singles play with a 5-0 mark at #2 and 7-3 record at the #3 spot. Renata Morales is also 5-0 at the #2 slot and is 4-5 at #1 for an overall record of 9-5. Laura Mertens is 13-5, all at #4 singles. Morales and Barrow are ranked #30 nationally with a 9-4 record at #1 doubles.
The Ark.-Fort Smith women are 3-14, 1-6 in the MIAA headed into Friday's dual with Washburn. They have only had five players compete this spring led by Arianna De Berdardo with an 8-8 record at #1 singles. Antonietta Bocache and Gracie Pereff are 5-9 at #2 doubles.
The Augustana men are 5-9, 1-3 in the MIAA. Tadeusz Michalowski is 8-3 with a 7-2 record at #1 singles this spring. Clayton Poppenga is 5-1 overall with a 4-1 mark at #6 singles. Michalowski and Pedro Pinto are 6-4 at #1 doubles while Poppenga and Jose Velasco are 4-1 at #2 doubles this spring.
WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE
With a win over Augustana the Emporia State men will clinch a spot in the MIAA/GAC Tournament and could be the third seed from the North Division.
The Hornet women need to win both duals this weekend and then some to qualify for a top six finish and spot in the MIAA Tournament. ESU is in with two wins and Neb.-Kearney losses to Newman and Central Oklahoma. If the Lopers go 1-1, then Northeastern State would need to lose to both Emporia State and Washburn and the Hornets would need to win at least six matches against the RiverHawks for ESU to advance to Springfield. If UNK goes 2-0 and NSU falls to WU, the Hornets will need to win both duals but will only need an outright win over the RiverHawks.
NATIONALLY RANKED WINS
The 6-1 win over then #21 Neb.-Kearney on April 6 was the Hornet men's first win against a nationally ranked team since defeating then #31 Rockhurst 6-1 on March 8, 2025 at the Kossover Complex. It is their highest ranked win since beating then #19 Lubbock Christian 4-3 on March 12, 2024 in Altamonte Springs, Fla.
The last win over a nationally ranked foe for the Emporia State women was a 4-3 victory over then #38 Rockhurst on March 8, 2025.
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
The MIAA Championship Tournament is set to begin on Wednesday, April 29 for the men and Friday, May 1 for the women at the Cooper Tennis Complex in Springfield, Mo.
