The Basics
Drake women's tennis is hitting the road and traveling to two states for two matches this weekend. The Bulldogs will begin the weekend at Missouri State on Saturday, April 6 at 11 a.m. and conclude at Murray State on Sunday, April 7 at 11 a.m. Both opponents are in the Missouri Valley Conference.
Bulldogs by the Numbers
Drake has a losing 6-9 overall record, but a positive 2-1 record in the MVC. The Bulldogs are 2-2 in their last four outings and won their most recent skirmish. They took down the rival Northern Iowa Panthers 7-0 on Friday, March 29 in Des Moines.
Ines Stephani and
Mille Haagensen, the Bulldogs' top doubles team, won the first match of the day against Northern Iowa 6-0. The duo is 2-1 in MVC play after their match against the Panthers. Stephani is also the Bulldogs' top singles champion. The senior from New Zealand won her last match in straight sets to improve to 3-0 in MVC play. She is 11-2 in singles play overall on the season.
Scouting the Competition
The Missouri State Bears are 10-7 on the year and 1-2 in conference play. They are on a two-game losing streak, losing 5-2 to Murray State and Belmont. Missouri State was picked to finish in 8th place out of nine teams in the MVC by the preseason poll.
The Bears' top singles player is Cristina Flaquer, a senior from Barcelona, Spain. Flaquer is a transfer from Fresno State, where she was All-Mountain West Singles Player of the Year. She lost in straight sets in Missouri State's last match against Belmont. Flaquer is also half of the top doubles team for the Bears, competing alongside Nicole Ross, a Junior from Malaysia. The duo lost 6-3 last time out against Belmont.
The Bulldogs are 8-6 against Missouri State women's tennis in all-time play. The Bulldogs are on a three-game winning streak against the Bears, dating back to 2021. Drake shut out Missouri State in all three matches.
The Murray State Racers have excelled to a 10-5 season record with a 3-0 in-conference record. They were tied for third place in the preseason poll, but are currently in first place in the MVC and the only undefeated team in the conference. The Racers are on a three-game win streak, with all recent wins coming against MVC opponents. They took down Illinois State 4-3, Missouri State 5-2 and Northern Iowa 7-0.
Sarah Bureau competes in the top singles position for Murray State. The French native took down her Northern Iowa opponent in straight sets in her last match. Emma Honore and Natalie Slezakova form the top doubles team for Murray State. Honore is from France and Slezakova is from the Czech Republic. The European duo won 6-2 in their Northern Iowa match.
Drake women's tennis has only played Murray State once, and it was a 5-2 Bulldog victory. The match happened in 2023 in Des Moines.
Up Next
The Bulldogs will continue with MVC play against Bradley and Illinois State on April 13 and 14 in Des Moines.
