Wayne State University Athletics

Women's Tennis 2/4/2024 12:00:00 PM Matthew Jurek, Sports Information Graduate Assistant

Women's Tennis Commences 2024 Season Against Lawrence Tech and Walsh

The Warriors will play back-to-back matches at home on consecutive days.

DETROIT -- The Wayne State University women's tennis team will start its 2024 spring schedule with back-to-back home matches on consecutive days. WSU will host NAIA member Lawrence Tech on Monday, February 5, at 12:45 p.m., before welcoming Walsh University to Detroit on Tuesday, February 6, at 1 p.m.

NOTE: As of March 29, the match vs. LTU was deemed an exhibition for Wayne State.

The Warriors will be led once again by Sheila Snyder in her 35th season as head coach. Snyder's Wayne State squad will look to continue the momentum built a season ago in which the Green and Gold went 24-4 and won the GLIAC Tournament for a second consecutive season (third time in the last four tournaments). WSU played in its first NCAA Sweet Sixteen match since 2014 last spring, which it won 4-1 over Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP). That advanced the Warriors to the NCAA Quarterfinals for the first time in program history.

SEASON PREVIEW
Six letterwinners return to the team for 2024, including sophomore Malak Arafat (Alexandria, Egypt), redshirt sophomore Dea Gorgidze (Tbilisi, Georgia), redshirt junior Marta Komar (Inowroclaw, Poland), redshirt junior Anais Ruyssen (Nantes, France), sophomore Martyna Szpakowska (Gdansk, Poland), and sophomore Shanice Weekes (London, England). WSU also welcomes two freshmen to the roster for a total of eight. Justine Beaulieu (Montreal, Que.) and Dessyre Obedencio (Warren, Mich. / Cousino) are the two newcomers to the squad for the 2024 campaign.

Wayne State's 2024 spring schedule features 10 home matches, with all but one (Lawrence Tech) being Midwest Region opponents. The Warriors were ranked eighth nationally in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's (ITA) Division II Men's Preseason Top 25 Coaches Poll. WSU is slated to play five fellow competitors that were also ranked within the poll, including Washburn (February 10), Indianapolis (February 11 and March 3), Nova Southeastern (February 23), Flagler (March 12), and GLIAC foe Grand Valley State (April 12). As a team ranked in the top eight of the country, the Green and Gold will participate in the ITA National Indoor Championship between February 23 and February 25. WSU's first opponent will be the Sharks of NSU.

In advance of the new campaign, the ITA previously released National Singles, National Doubles, and Regional Rankings for both categories on November 15. Ruyssen and Komar, WSU's leading doubles duo and primary top two singles players from last season, appeared first in the Midwest Region doubles, while first nationally. Ruyssen was also 48th in Division II in singles and seventh within the region. Similar to Ruyssen, Arafat also appeared in both lists for the region. She clocked in at 31st nationally, while fourth regionally. Komar (16th) and Weekes (20th) were included in the Midwest Region rankings for singles.

VS. LAWRENCE TECH (2/5)
Lawrence Tech went 7-14 a season ago despite playing five Division II programs and four GLIAC schools. LTU and WSU met in Wayne State's season-opener last campaign, which ended in a 7-0 triumph for the Warriors on February 2, 2023. That contest was the first home match for the Green and Gold against the Blue Devils since February 27, 2019. Wayne State is 6-0 against its Southfield opponents since 2017-18.

Lawrence Tech is coached by Wayne State alum Griffin Mertz in his second season as head coach of both the men's and women's program. Mertz was on the WSU men's tennis team from 2016 through 2019 and won 102 matches between singles and doubles across his time in Detroit. He was a three-time All-GLIAC selection (two Second Team and one Honorable Mention) and a three-time ITA Scholar Athlete. Mertz is assisted by Graduate Coach Margot Fontaine.

VS. WALSH (2/6)
Walsh finished 12-10 in 2023, while managing a 4-4 record within the G-MAC. The Cavaliers played a pair of dual matches in the fall, totaling a 1-1 record against the University of Charleston (a 7-0 loss) and West Virginia State University (a 6-1 victory). Walsh began its spring season by splitting a pair of contests in back-to-back matches this past Friday and Saturday. The Cavaliers shut out Edinboro 7-0 on February 2, before falling 4-3 to GLVC member Lewis on February 3. All four contests were at home for Walsh, meaning Tuesday's battle will be the first outside of North Canton, Ohio.

The Warriors and Cavaliers have played each other 10 times since April 6, 2012, and WSU has won all 10. Last season's 7-0 shutout on February 5, 2023, in Detroit was the first meeting between the two programs since the 2018-19 campaign.

Walsh is coached by Bryan Whittaker in his 12th season. He assumed the head coaching duties of both tennis programs in North Canton in 2012, after serving as an assistant coach the previous two seasons. Whittaker is assisted by Ross Whittaker and Graduate Coach Nicole Biedacki.

Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

Malak Arafat: 5' 11"; Sophomore

Justine Beaulieu: 5' 4"; Freshman

Dea Gorgidze: 5' 7"; Redshirt Sophomore

Marta Komar: 5' 9"; Redshirt Junior

Anais Ruyssen: 5' 9"; Redshirt Junior

Martyna Szpakowska: 5' 8"; Sophomore

Shanice Weekes: 5' 4"; Sophomore

Dessyre Obedencio: 5' 4"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

Malak Arafat
: 5' 11"; Sophomore

Justine Beaulieu
: 5' 4"; Freshman

Dea Gorgidze
: 5' 7"; Redshirt Sophomore

Marta Komar
: 5' 9"; Redshirt Junior

Anais Ruyssen
: 5' 9"; Redshirt Junior

Martyna Szpakowska
: 5' 8"; Sophomore

Shanice Weekes
: 5' 4"; Sophomore

Dessyre Obedencio
: 5' 4"; Freshman