University of Missouri
Memphis
@MizzouTennis Takes on Memphis, Minnesota This Weekend
2/14/2019 11:33:00 AM | Tennis
COLUMBIA, Mo. - The Mizzou tennis team continues non-conference action with a pair of matches in Memphis, Tenn., this weekend. The Tigers take on host Memphis on Friday, Feb. 15 at 3 p.m. before a neutral site bout against Minnesota on Saturday, Feb. 16 at 1 p.m. Both matches will take place at the Racquet Club of Memphis.
Mizzou (6-1) is coming off a 4-2 road win over Wichita State on Feb. 6, which was the Tigers' first victory over the Shockers since 2013. Wichita State won the doubles point with wins at No. 2 and 3 doubles but Mizzou responded with wins at No. 1, 2, 4 and 5 singles to nab the win. Junior Mackenzy Middlebrooks got the Tigers rolling in singles as she dispatched Sandra Honigova, 6-2, 6-2, at the No. 1 position. Mizzou then took a 2-1 lead when junior Serena Nash defeated Esther Thebault at No. 2 singles, 6-1, 7-5. With the team score tied 2-2, sophomore Ellie Wright dropped the first set but fought back to claim the second, setting up a decisive third set. The final frame went to a tiebreak, where Wright won the final three points to claim a 5-7, 6-2, 7-6 (6) victory over LingWei Kong at No. 4 singles. The win, Wright's seventh in seven matches this spring, gave the Tigers a 3-2 advantage. Playing at No. 5 competition, freshman Vivien Ábrahám then clinched the Missouri victory with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Alexandra Lazarova.
Wright currently leads Missouri with a perfect 7-0 record this spring, including three-set victories in duals against Virginia Tech and Wichita State the last two times out. All seven of Wright's wins have come at the No. 4 position. Middlebrooks is 6-1 in the spring, including a 5-1 record since moving up to the No. 1 singles spot against Southeast Missouri State on Jan. 26. Overall, Middlebrooks has a team-best 12-3 singles record in 2018-19.
Memphis is 2-4 this spring with wins over Northern Arizona (4-2) and Tulane (4-3). On Feb. 10, the Tigers earned a 4-3 win at Tulane after trailing 3-2 with only two matches remaining. Memphis' Alisha Reayer and Katherine Cao both notched victories to close out the dual and give the Tigers the team win.
Minnesota owns a 5-1 record and is in the midst of a five-match winning streak after opening the spring with a loss to UCLA. The Golden Gophers posted 7-0 sweeps the last two times out against South Dakota and Northern Iowa, and also own a 4-1 win over then-No. 41 Florida International on Jan. 27.
Following this weekend's action in Memphis, Missouri returns to the Mizzou Tennis Complex for a doubleheader on Saturday, Feb. 23. The Tigers host Central Arkansas at 1 p.m. before a 5 p.m. match against Missouri State.
