DURANT, Okla. – An 11-3 start for the Tarleton tennis program is in reach, with the Texans needing to get past Missouri State on Tuesday to earn their 10th win over their last 11 matches.
Tarleton will face the Bears in a neutral site match on Tuesday at 4 p.m. CT in Durant, Oklahoma, on Southeastern Oklahoma State’s campus. The Texans are 10-3, their quickest run to 10 wins in a season since 2013-14, while the Bears are still looking for their first win, 0-9 on the year with a 10-match losing streak dating back to last season.
The Texans have won three straight matches away from Stephenville, their best run away from home this season. With a win Tuesday, their fourth straight win away from the Potishman-Lard Tennis Courts would be their best such stretch since 2016-17.
Overall, they’ve won nine of their last 10 matches, not suffering a loss since Jan. 22. They own the best record out of all Western Athletic Conference teams. Tarleton’s three losses were to…Louisiana Tech, who has won 11 straight matches and is 13-2 on the year; Oklahoma, who is 14-1 and No. 3 in the ITA Division I Women’s Team Rankings; and Texas A&M, who is 16-1 and No. 8 in those same rankings.
The hot Texans now meet a struggling program, a Bears roster that is a collective 19-67 (.221) in singles, 5-29 (.147) in doubles. Tarleton on the other hand is 50-22 (.694) in singles matches, 22-13 (.629) in doubles.
Celia Vaudiau is the WAC’s leader in wins and has the best singles record in the conference at 11-1, a winner of 11 straight matches. That’s the longest winning streak by a Tarleton player in their NCAA Division I era, surpassing Martha Makantasi’s nine-match winning streak last season. Vaudiau has won eight straight matches in straight sets, not allowing her opponent to win five games in a set once over those eight matches. Over her past eight matches, she’s outscored her opponents in games 96-33.
Based on how the season has played out, Tarleton’s Nos. 1-5 spots will likely consist of Deniza Marcinkevica, Jemi Aguilar, Makantasi, Elsa Boisson and Vaudiau. At No. 6, it will likely either be Natalia Komar or Anna Davidson.
As for doubles, head coach Elianne Douglas-Miron switched up everything in Tarleton’s last match, so there’s really no saying what will happen Tuesday. The team of Marcinkevica and Aguilar own the best record as a duo this year at 7-2.
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