Wayne State University Athletics

Women's Tennis 2/14/2024 4:30:00 PM Matthew Jurek, Sports Information Graduate Assistant

Women's Tennis Has Road-Home Split This Week

WSU will play at Northwestern Ohio on Thursday, then host Findlay on Saturday in Detroit.

DETROIT -- The Wayne State University women's tennis squad will look to rebound this week against NAIA member Northwestern Ohio and the University of Findlay. WSU will travel to Lima, Ohio, to battle the Racers at 1:45 p.m. on Thursday, February 15, before welcoming the Oilers to Detroit on Saturday, February 17, at 1 p.m.

Thursday's contest at UNOH will conclude a three-game road stretch for the Green and Gold, while Saturday's match vs. UF will be the lone home appearance for the Warriors between February 7 and February 29.

NOTE: The match against Northwestern Ohio was deemed an exhibition for the Warriors on March 29.

ITA NATIONAL RANKINGS UPDATE
The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) released its Top 25 National Rankings on Wednesday afternoon for the first time since the preseason on January 17. The coaches poll ranked Wayne State 14th in the country following four matches this season. The Warriors were picked eighth prior to the campaign.

The Top 10 includes Barry, Nova Southeastern, Lynn, Flagler, Saint Leo, Columbus State, West Alabama, Cameron, Washburn, and Wingate. WSU in 14th is the sole GLIAC school represented in the Top 25. Grand Valley State received votes in the poll.

LAST TIME OUT
The Green and Gold dropped both of its contests last weekend in Indianapolis. The Warriors fell 4-1 to #15-Washburn in a neutral site affair, with the lone WSU point coming in singles via Malak Arafat's (Alexandria, Egypt) 6-3, 7-5 triumph at the No. 3 position over Peyton Koper.

The Warriors garnered the doubles point against the No. 12-ranked Greyhounds this past Sunday, but UIndy collected four of the five completed singles matches to emerge victorious. Anais Ruyssen (Nantes, France) and Marta Komar (Inowroclaw, Poland) won 6-2 in doubles, while Arafat and Martyna Szpakowska (Gdansk, Poland) also were victorious by a 6-2 score (Arafat and Szpakowska won in doubles on both days). Ruyssen posted a 6-2, 6-4 win over Diane Flament in singles.

AT NORTHWESTERN OHIO (2/15)
UNOH has started its campaign 4-0 with key victories over Findlay and Division I Bowling Green, both by 4-3 final scores. The Racers have also downed fellow NAIA program in Lourdes (7-0) and Concordia-Ann Arbor (7-0), who are both conference rivals to Northwestern Ohio from the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC).

Wayne State is 6-1 against its opponents from Lima, Ohio, since March 6, 2015. That includes a 2-1 mark away from Detroit. WSU and UNOH met last season on February 11, 2023, which the Green and Gold won by a 7-0 margin. Since a 9-0 loss on March 3, 2017, Wayne State has shut out Northwestern Ohio in each of the last four matches.

Northwestern Ohio is ranked #24 in the NAIA National Rankings via the ITA. Alizee Ripolles (seventh) and Agathe Vaillant (37th) are nationally ranked in doubles, while also appearing first and 10th, respectively, for the NAIA East Region. Selena Lopicic and Vaillant are ninth in the region for doubles.

Jeff Brown is in his fourth season as head coach of the Racers. UNOH is an even 32-32 (.500) overall and 14-5 (.737) within the WHAC under Brown. He is assisted by Andrea Arango-Brown, Evan Neuman, and Vaune Glorioso.

VS. FINDLAY (2/17)
Findlay is off to a 5-1 start in 2023-24, including four consecutive wins over GLIAC opponents in Saginaw Valley State (6-1), Michigan Tech (7-0), Ferris State (5-2), and #18-Grand Valley State (5-2). WSU will be UF's fifth straight opponent in the league it called home between 1997-98 and 2016-17. The Oilers also defeated Division I Bucknell 5-2 back in the fall season to make it five straight wins for the program entering Saturday's affair in Detroit.

Wayne State has not lost to Findlay in 18 consecutive matches dating back to September 21, 2002. That includes a 5-2 triumph in the most recent contest last season on February 18, 2023. The Warriors are 8-0 at home against the Oilers.

Findlay appears in 25th for the ITA's National Rankings after not being ranked in the preseason. UF's Anamarija Kovacevic is ninth in the Midwest Region for singles, while Emily Hadler and Zuzanna Krygier are ninth in doubles.

Findlay is coached by Jeff Westmeyer in his third season at the helm of the women's tennis program at UF. He has led the Oilers to a 38-17 (.691) overall record and a 13-2 (.867) ledger in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC). Westmeyer is assisted by Elizabeth Hadler.

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Players Mentioned

Malak Arafat: 5' 11"; Sophomore

Marta Komar: 5' 9"; Redshirt Junior

Anais Ruyssen: 5' 9"; Redshirt Junior

Martyna Szpakowska: 5' 8"; Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Malak Arafat
: 5' 11"; Sophomore

Marta Komar
: 5' 9"; Redshirt Junior

Anais Ruyssen
: 5' 9"; Redshirt Junior

Martyna Szpakowska
: 5' 8"; Sophomore