ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – There are things that are long overdue, and then there's Griffon Tennis' first team acknowledgment this season in the latest
Intercollegiate Tennis Association Top 75 Team Rankings.
As of Thursday, April 7, the Griffons (12-2, 3-0 MIAA) come in red hot, riding a six-match winning streak that has them at No. 57 in the nation as ranked by the ITA. During this span, Missouri Western has won 39-of-42 official singles and doubles matches, including a 6-1 win over No. 42 Northwest Missouri State (12-5, 2-1 MIAA)) on Wednesday, March 30.
It's been quite the first year for Griffon Tennis Head Coach Alejandro Del Torre. On top of notching the No. 57 spot in Division II, he has guided his group to their first win over the Bearcats since 1985 and matched last year's total of 12 wins with five regular season bouts to go.
"One of our goals at the beginning of the season was to make it to the national rankings," Coach Del Torre said. "It's great to get that recognition. There's a lot of hard work and great performances behind that number. We are still not close to where we want to be, but it feels good to get a step in the right direction."
PUTTING IT TOGETHER WITH TOUGH TESTS ON THE WAY
The Griffons have plenty of firepower in both singles and doubles.
Esther Güemes holds a perfect 13-0 in No. 2 singles, while
Anya Chavez is on a six-match tear of her own and is 8-5 in No. 1 singles.
Nicole Donnelly is 5-0 at No. 6, and
Ariella Curci is 6-2 playing at No. 5 and No. 6.
Anaís Peralta Criado is 12-1 with a rampant 6-0 record in No. 4 singles and 6-1 showing in No. 3.
Isabella MacGibbon is 8-4 and 7-3 in her last 10, earning a mark of 5-1 in No. 3 singles.
Claudia Iglesias is carving through competition this season at 11-1, including an 8-1 mark in No. 5 singles.
Ioanna Lathouri is 2-0 after making her solo debut just this March.
The No. 1 doubles team of Chavez and MacGibbon are 9-4 and just fell out of the Top-50 rankings last week even though they have won their last five and are 2-0 in the MIAA. When MWSU meets No. 5 Central Oklahoma (10-1, 3-0 MIAA) this Saturday in St. Joseph at 12 p.m., Chavez and MacGibbon will likely face the No. 2-nationally-ranked team of Christine and Mae Canete (18-1), a team who was previously No. 1 in the last ranking. The Bronchos also sport the No. 36 pairing of Nikkie Boyar and Blythe Buntrock (5-2).
Sunday's slate has Missouri Western taking on Northeastern State (4-10, 0-3 MIAA) at 1 p.m. Weather permitting, both of this weekend's matchups will be played at Noyes Tennis Courts.
