Tennis Bears Begin MVC Slate Versus Bradley, Illinois State

Dual Details
The Missouri State women’s tennis team (5-8) opens Missouri Valley Conference Play at home this weekend. The Bears battle Bradley (4-7) Saturday at 9 a.m. before taking on Illinois State (7-6) Sunday at 10 a.m. Both duals will take place at Cooper Tennis Complex, and admission is free.
 
Baseline Knowledge

• Last week, MSU faced Missouri Western State and Cowley College. On Friday versus the Griffons, the Bears earned six wins en route to a 5-1 victory. Juliette Robinson, Sandra Lukacova, and Diana Cabrera all won both their singles and doubles matches to give the Bears their first win in four matches. Against Cowley College on Saturday, MoState secured the doubles point for the second consecutive match. However, the Bears fell to the Tigers, 4-1.
• On March 4-5, MSU took on SEMO in back-to-back duals, falling to the Redhawks, 7-0, in both Saturday and Sunday’s contests.
• During a three-dual span between Feb. 23-25, the Bears began the stretch with a victory against Southwest Baptist, 4-3, to close out its six-dual home stretch. MoState found itself with its back against the wall, down 3-2 against the Bearcats. The Bears came roaring back, winning the Nos. 4-5 singles matches to secure the dual. Piskulic (No. 5) took down SBU’s Polina Paunova, 6-4, 6-2, and Lukacova (No. 4) defeated SBU’s Lola Cincunegui, 6-3, 6-4, to complete the comeback. Two days following, Missouri State battled Arkansas and No. 18 Oklahoma. The Bears fell short in both duals against the power-five representatives. Over the span of both duals, Missouri State players faced four opponents ranked inside the ITA Collegiate Tennis Rankings top 100, including three doubles teams and one singles player. 
• Next, against Oral Roberts on Feb. 17, MoState fell behind 4-0 after the doubles point and first three singles points all ended in the Golden Eagles’ favor. However, the Bears showed fight and secured the remaining three matches to bring the score to 4-3. Mary Houston (No. 3), Lukacova (No. 4) and Piskulic (No. 5) all picked up wins in singles.
• On Feb. 10 and Feb. 12, MSU followed up its first victories of the season by splitting two home duals. Against Kansas City (Feb. 10), Robinson (No. 3) and Silva Avakian (No. 6) picked up wins in singles, however the Bears fell to the Roos, 4-2. Versus Central Arkansas (Feb. 12), Missouri State found itself down 3-1. However, the home Bears rattled off three straight victories in flights four through six to secure the dual, 4-3. The duo of Lukacova and Robinson earned a victory in No. 3 doubles, while Robinson (No. 3), Lukacova (No. 4), Alyson Piskulic (No. 5) and Avakian (No. 6) all secured wins in singles. Robinson’s performance in both duals resulted in her being named MVC Singles Player of the Week, announced by the league on Feb.15. 
• Missouri State secured its first dual victory under first-year head coach Ellie Burger on Friday, Feb. 3, against Drury, 4-3. On the following day, the Bears followed up the DU victory with a win against Eastern Illinois, 5-2. MSU’s first victories of the season snapped a 21-dual losing streak dating back to 2021. 
• Through 13 duals, Lukacova and Piskulic hold the same singles record of 6-6. Lukacova is carries a 4-5 ledger in flight four and a 2-1 mark in the No. 5 slot, while Piskulic is 4-5 in flight five and a perfect 2-0 in the No. 6 position.
• Elsewhere in dual singles action, Robinson holds a 4-6 record in Nos. 2-4, while Cabrera maintains a 4-7 ledger, all in the No. 1 position.
• In doubles, the pair of Cabrera and Piskulic have the best dual winning percentage on MSU, holding a record of 6-4. The tandem is 2-1 in the No. 1 slot and 4-3 in the No. 2 position. Meanwhile, the duo of Lukacova and Robinson are 5-5 in doubles, going 4-5 in flight three and 1-0 in the No. 2 spot.
• In the fall, Cabrera finished second in No. 1 singles at the 2022 MVC Individual Championships. The doubles pair of Avakian/Houston grabbed fourth in No. 3 doubles, and Avakian also finished fifth in No. 6 singles. 
• Overall, Missouri State players are 44-75 in singles matches and 19-32 in doubles contests. In duals, MSU holds a 23-37 singles record and a 10-17 ledger in doubles. 
• The Bears were picked eighth out of nine teams in the 2023 MVC Preseason Poll, receiving 22 points.

 
Coach Ellie Burger

• Before becoming head coach on June 1, Burger played tennis for the Bears from 2017-21 and was a three-time All-MVC performer. She ranks third in program history for career singles winning percentage (.782) with a 43-18 career record.  
• Originally from Chesterfield, Mo., Burger captained the 2020-21 MoState tennis squad, leading the Bears to a 12-10 overall record and a runner-up finish in the MVC Tournament. She was also a key part of the 2018 MVC Tournament championship squad that advanced to the NCAA Tournament under coach Mallory Weber.
• Individually, Burger won a conference title in 2019 at No. 3 singles, becoming just the 13^th Bear to win a singles flight in The Valley. She also earned All-MVC honors in 2018, 2019 and 2021, and was named as the Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Female Student-Athlete of the Year by her fellow MSU student-athletes in 2020-21.

 
2023 MVC Preseason Poll

1. Belmont (6)

2. Illinois State

3. UIC (3)

4. Drake

5. Murray State

6. Valparaiso

7. Bradley

8. Missouri State

9. UNI

 
Series History (based on information available)
Bradley: MSU leads the all-time series, 19-10. Last meeting: BU 5, MSU 2 (April 2, 2022, in Peoria, Ill.)
Illinois State: IllSt leads the all-time series, 24-6. Last meeting: IllSt 7, MSU 0 (April 3, 2022, in Normal, Ill.)
 
Looking Ahead
After the weekend, Missouri State stays in Springfield for a matchup with MVC foe Belmont (3-10) Saturday, March 25, at 10 a.m. The dual will be held at Cooper Tennis Complex, and admission is free.