TYLER, TEXAS – The UT Tyler men's and women's tennis programs will head west to Wichita Falls, Texas to take on Southwest Baptist in a neutral site matchup on Saturday morning at 10 a.m.
Southwest Baptist comes into the contest receiving votes in the top 25 poll for their men's program, and their women's program is currently ranked 21
st in the country.
THE SEASON THUS FAR
The Patriots men's program has gotten off to a 2-2 start to the season, and that includes victories over the #10 ranked team in Division III in Southwestern, and a victory against RV Harding. The victory over Southwestern was a big 7-0 sweep, and the victory over Harding was a much grittier 4-3 win. UT Tyler's only two losses have come against Division I foe UT Arlington by a score of 5-2, and Southeastern Oklahoma State by a score of 4-3.
Over on the women's side, the Patriots have gotten off to a 3-2 start to the season. Their wins came against Southwestern, RV Harding, and Southeastern Oklahoma State. Within those wins were a pair of 4-3 victories, and a 5-2 win over Southeastern Oklahoma State in their most recent matchup. The two losses this season have come against #3 Central Oklahoma, and Division I opponent Stephen F. Austin.
SERIES HISTORY
Both programs have faced off just one time against Southwest Baptist, and this week's matchup will be almost exactly a year after the first meeting.
Last year's matchup came on March 6 and it was also played in Wichita Falls, Texas as a neutral site contest. In the men's matchup from last season, it was the Bearcats who came away with the 4-1 victory. In that contest,
Gonzalo Fernandez Gil managed the only point for the Patriots as he won his singles matchup.
On the ladies side, the Bearcats also came away with the victory. The final score of that contest was 4-0 but saw several Patriots put up a strong fight against the then #14 ranked Bearcats.
THE SCOUTING REPORT
The men's program at Southwest Baptist has played a tough road so far this season. They have faced off against three top 25 ranked programs and sit at 1-4 on the season. Their most successful singles player has been Ilyes Khelifi. Khelifi is 3-1 on the season after winning a pair of games in the #5 singles spot and once in the #4 singles spot.
For the Southwestern Baptist women, they are currently 1-2 on the season. Their lone victory came against LSC foe UAFS in a 4-3 contest. The Bearcats had three different ladies participate in a winning doubles match and also win their singles match. Those three are Diana Cabrera, Ghada Dirninger, and Paula Ballesteros.
TOUGH TRIP AHEAD
Following the Saturday morning contest against Southwest Baptist, both programs will load up and hit the road for four matches in four days next week. Those contests will begin on Monday, March 7 in Lawrenceville, Georgia as both programs meet Georgia Gwinnett. On Tuesday, March 8, both teams will meet Saint Leo in Saint Leo, Florida, and will be followed by a match against Rollins on March 9, in Winter Park, Florida on Wednesday. The four match road trip will wrap up on Thursday, March 10 against Ferris State in Orlando, Florida.
For the men, Saint Leo will be the only nationally ranked opponent, coming in at number nine. For the women, #8 Saint Leo will also be the only nationally ranked opponent, but Rollins and Ferris State are each receiving votes in the national poll.
