Resilient Racers Take On OVC Challenge Friday

Murray State Women's Tennis team looks for their ninth Ohio Valley Conference Tournament title and third in four seasons Friday when they open play against the Eastern Kentucky Colonels in Nashville, Tenn. The Centennial Sportsplex and Tennis Center will be the tournament headquarters.

The Racers are the No. 6 seed and the Colonels are No. 3. The two clash Friday at 10 a.m. with the winner advancing to take on No. 2 seed UT Martin Saturday at 10 a.m.

Young Racers
MSU head coach Jorge Caetano has a talented yet inexperienced team that he takes to the OVC. A year ago, the Racers were the No. 6 seed and lost 4-1 to EKU. Alina Schibol, Amina Hadzick and Jeanne Masson (Now a senior and two sophomores) were the only MSU players that played that are still on the team now. This week, freshmen Sara Bjork, Claire Chang and twin sisters Sara Loncarevic and Anja Loncarevic will see their first action in the OVC Tournament.

Chang, who was named All-OVC Preseason, is tied for the team lead with 12 wins along with Schibol. In doubles play, this freshman/senior duo have complimented each other like peanut butter & jelly and have won 12 matches.

Murray State had to figure this out as they went and are still a work in progress as they finished the regular season 7-11 overall and 4-5 in the OVC.

So You're Telling Me There's A Chance?
The chances of MSU getting into the OVC Tournament were slim at the start of last week.

MSU had a magical revival when they won two matches and had two other OVC matches fall their way just to get into the OVC Tournament. MSU beat Austin Peay and EKU by 4-3 scores and then got favorable outcomes when Eastern Illinois beat Southeast Missouri and EKU downed APSU. The Racers gained the last OVC spot on a head-to-head tiebreaker with APSU.

Head Coach Jorge Caetano said, "I am very proud of our team. It was not an easy task since they are such a young group. With our backs against the wall, but they pulled this off, so I'm very proud of every single one of them. "

About the OVC Tournament
The first OVC Women's Tennis tournament was held in 1977 and this year will be the 41st staging of the event. Last season in 2016, the Cougars of SIUE were the Women's champions and they are the No. 1 seed this weekend in Nashville.

Tournament Schedule
First Round: Friday, April 21, 2017
Match 1: #3 Eastern Kentucky vs. #6 Murray State, 10:00 a.m.
Match 2: #4 Eastern Illinois vs. #5 Southeast Missouri, 10:00 a.m.

Semifinals: Saturday, April 22, 2017
Match 3: #2 UT Martin vs. Winner of Match 1, 10:00 a.m.
Match 4: #1 SIUE vs. Winner of Match 2, 10:00 a.m.

Championship: Sunday, April 23, 2017
Match 5: Semifinal Winners, 10:00 a.m.

Racer Tennis By The Numbers
OVC Tournament Record: 33-15 (.688)
OVC Championships: 6 (1987, 2001, 2002, 2003, *2014, *2015) * Co-OVC champions
OVC Tournament Championships: 8 (1984, 1987, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2007, 2014, 2015)
NCAA Appearances: 6 (2001, 2002, 2003, 2007, 2014, 2015)
Last Appearance: 2015 Vanderbilt (L, 0-4)

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Sara Bjork

Claire Chang

Amina Hadzic

Anja Loncarevic

Sara Loncarevic

Jeanne Masson

Alina Schibol

Murray State University Athletics