EDMOND, Okla. — The 2023 MIAA Women's Tennis Championships are set to begin this Friday at 4 p.m., as No. 38 Missouri Western will take on No. 47 Nebraska Kearney in a rematch at Broncho Courts.
The No. 3-seeded Griffons (12-5, 5-3 MIAA) already beat the No. 6-seeded Lopers (14-10, 4-4 MIAA) in decisive fashion earlier this season, winning 6-1 on Senior Day back on April 8 at Noyes Tennis Courts in St. Joseph. So far this season, MWSU is 4-3 vs. teams among the ITA leaderboard, setting a new program record in wins vs. ranked opponents. The Lopers, on the other hand, have won two matches in a row since falling in St. Joe, defeating Midland and Fort Hays both by a 6-1 margin.
Heading into Friday, the ITA has two Griffons ranked, tabbing
Isabella MacGibbon and
Anya Chavez as No. 42 and No. 56 in the nation, respectively. Kearney also has two players ranked: No. 38 Melisa Becerra and No. 46 Jazmin Zamorano. MacGibbon beat Becerra in three sets earlier this month, as did Chavez when playing Zamorano back on April 8 at Noyes.
Becerra and Zamorano are ranked as a doubles duo as well, sitting at No. 42 in all of Division II, going 11-8 together in the 2022-23 season.
This is only the second time MWSU and UNK have met in the postseason, facing off in a 5-2 Loper win on April 29, 2016 in Springfield, Missouri. The Griffons are 3-3 vs. UNK since that day, prevailing in the last three matchups with a 6-1 win each time.
REGIONAL REMINDER
The Griffons remain at No. 5 in the latest NCAA Central Region rankings. The top-six teams are selected for the national tournament.
| School |
Overall DII Record |
In-Region Record |
| 1. Northwest Missouri |
18-3 |
16-2 |
| 2. Central Oklahoma |
10-8 |
10-5 |
| 3. Washburn |
14-6 |
12-3 |
| 4. Augustana |
17-3 |
15-2 |
| 5. Missouri Western |
11-3 |
9-3 |
| 6. Nebraska Kearney |
12-9 |
12-6 |
| 7. Arkansas Tech |
10-3 |
10-1 |
| 8. Southern Arkansas |
11-10 |
10-7 |
