Racers Set for 2020 Campaign, Will Meet IUPUI and Bradley on Saturday

Saturday, January 25

Peoria, Ill.

9 A.M.

Murray State

IUPUI

Photo by: Dave Winder-Murray State Athletics

Racers Set for 2020 Campaign, Will Meet IUPUI and Bradley on Saturday

1/24/2020 4:05:00 PM | Women's Tennis

Date: Jan. 25^th – 9:00 a.m. / 1:00 p.m.
Site (Venue): Peoria, Illinois (The Clubs at River City)
MSU Record (Streak): 0-0 (N/A)
Bradley Record (Streak): 0-0 (N/A)
IUPUI Record (Streak): 0-3 (Lost 3)
Racers All-Time vs. Bradley: 8-1
Racers All-Time vs. IUPUI: 2-0
MSU Next Match: Jan. 30 vs. Middle Tennessee / Cumberland (Tenn.)
MSU Next Home: Same (at Kenlake Tennis Center)

Murray State women's tennis will open the 2020 campaign on Saturday, when they travel to Peoria, Illinois for a pair of matches against Bradley and IUPUI.

Led by head coach Jorge Caetano, who enters his sixth season at the helm, the Racers will look to build on a 2019 season that saw them turn in a 12-9 overall record in dual matches that included a 6-2 mark against Ohio Valley Conference competition.

Entering the Season
The Racers, who were picked second in this year's Preseason OVC Coaches Poll, return four players with significant playing experience from a year ago. Among those returners is 2019 All-OVC selection Claire Chang, who earned a 5-3 singles record against conference opponents last season. The Kaohsiung, Taiwan native was also named the #3 player on the OVC's Preseason Top-10 players list for the 2020 season. Junior Stasya Sharapova, who also landed a spot in the Preseason Top-10 as the #9 ranked player in the OVC, is another key returner for Murray State after she also posted a 5-3 record in OVC singles competition last season while competing primarily as the #2 during conference play.

Seniors Sara Loncarevic and Anja Loncarevic also bring veteran leadership to this year's team to round out the Racer returners, as the duo brings a plethora of playing experience to the roster in 2020. Sara saw a phenomenal junior campaign in 2019, posting a 17-2 singles record in dual matches with a 7-1 mark against OVC opponents, while Anja saw success on the doubles side with a 9-8 overall record last season.

The Racers will also see the return of Sara Bjork, who did not compete last season, but earned a 6-2 record through eight singles matches in the fall. Finally, freshmen Marit Kreugel and Samantha Muller will look to make an immediate impact after they posted records of 4-1 and 5-4 respectively during fall competition.

Scouting Bradley
Bradley returns six players from its 2019 team, and was voted third in this year's Missouri Valley Conference Preseason Poll. They are coming off a program-best 16-7 record that included a 4-1 MVC mark in 2019. Perhaps most notably, the Braves return All-MVC 1^st Team Selection and Freshman of the Year Bazana Lojpur, after she went a perfect 5-0 in MVC singles last season.

Scouting IUPUI
The Jaguars posted a 6-16 record, while going 2-7 against Horizon League opponents last season, and were picked to finish eighth in the league's preseason poll. IUPUI is led by first-year head coach Jason Suscha, who has a roster that brings back all but one player from the 2019 campaign. The Jaguars do not have a single senior on the roster, and have just one junior in Elkhart, Indiana native Krystak Grubb.

All-Time Series:
Saturday will mark the tenth meeting between Murray State and Bradley, with the Racers holding the all-time series with an 8-1 record. Murray State has won six straight against Bradley, with the last meeting coming just last season when the Racers defeated the Braves 5-2 at the Kenlake Tennis Center. As for IUPUI, Murray State will meet the Jaguars for the third time when they clash on Saturday after the Racers emerged victorious in both of the previous encounters. The last meeting came in a 7-0 Racer triumph on February 29^th, 2008.