The Basics
Drake women's tennis will begin its 2026 slate with a pair of home matches at the Roger Knapp Tennis Center this weekend. The Bulldogs will take on North Dakota in their season debut (Jan. 24) before welcoming Southeast Missouri State to Des Moines (Jan. 26).
Bulldog Breakdown
2026 marks the second year of the
Calvin Song era for Drake women's tennis. Under Song's tutelage, the Bulldogs are looking to take another step and return to championship contention in the Missouri Valley Conference.
Last season, Drake went 5-16 overall and 2-6 in MVC action. Their season ended in the first round of the MVC Championships with a 4-2 loss to No. 3 seed Illinois State.
After a solid fall schedule, Drake will lean on A trio of key returners in
Elizabete Klavinska,
Jana Ruzic, and
Shiori Takeda, combined with some new Bulldog blood as Song looks to lead the Bulldogs back to postseason play.
Newcomers,
Maja Dodik, a West Virginia transfer with four years of high-level experience in the Big 12 Conference, and
Jordane Dookie, a former Division II standout with international experience representing her home country of Trinidad and Tobago at the Billie Jean King Cup, will look to make additional impact for the Bulldogs. Drake also recently added a pair of talented Australian freshmen in
Milana Dejanovic and
Kristina Tai to help chase down championship status.
Scouting North Dakota
North Dakota enters the weekend with a pair of matches already under their 2026 belts. The Fighting Hawks hosted Marquette and Montana last weekend with a 5-2 win over the Golden Eagles and 4-3 loss to the Bobcats. UND will visit Minnesota this evening before traveling to Des Moines for a battle with the Bulldogs tomorrow.
The Fighting Hawks are coming off a 14-8 season last year and will be looking to improve upon their 3-3 Summit League record. North Dakota's 2025 campaign ended in the Summit League Tennis Championship semifinals with a 4-0 defeat to Denver.
Drake leads its all-time series with North Dakota by an 8-1 margin. The Bulldogs won the first eight meetings before North Dakota won the most recent bout in 2021.
Scouting Southeast Missouri State
The Redhawks of Southeast Missouri State have also already begun their 2026 season with three losses on their ledger thus far. SEMO opened with a 6-1 loss to Wyoming before a 7-0 shutout at Tulsa and 5-2 defeat to Louisiana Tech. The Redhawks will visit Northern Iowa on Saturday before taking on Drake at noon on Sunday.
SEMO ended their 2025 season with records of 15-10 overall and 5-0 in Ohio Valley Conference play. The Redhawks marched through the OVC Tournament before suffering a 4-2 loss to No. 3 seed Bryant in the league tournament title.
Sunday's meeting will be the first ever between Drake and Southeast Missouri State.
Up Next
Drake will hit the road for its first match away from home this season. The Bulldogs are set to visit Lindenwood on Jan. 31.
