THIS WEEK IN BILLIKEN TENNIS
Tuesday, Feb. 21 • Women vs. Missouri Western State (St. Clair Tennis Club) • 1 p.m.
Thursday, Feb. 23 • Men vs. Lindenwood (St. Clair Tennis Club) • Noon
Sunday, Feb. 26 • Men vs. Butler (St. Clair Tennis Club) • 9 a.m.
 
Saint Louis tennis is at home for three matches at St. Clair Tennis Club this week as the men's team plays twice and the women's team competes once.
 
Live results for all three matches are available on each team's schedule page on SLUBillikens.com.
 
Men's Preview
The Billikens improved to 8-1 with last week's 7-0 victory over Eastern Illinois. The 8-1 start is SLU's best nine-match record since the 2015-16 team posted the same mark.
 
Sansh Kumar and Adam Behun own 6-0 singles records in dual competition, and Ryota Fukushima is 7-1. Luca Lo Nardo and Andres Castellanos are 5-1 and 5-2, respectively, while teaming for a 4-0 doubles record.
 
Ohio Valley Conference member Lindenwood, competing in its first NCAA Division I season, is 2-2.
 
Butler of the Big East Conference has won three of its last four matches to improve to 7-5. The Bulldogs, whose schedule this season has included Big Ten opponents Illinois and Indiana, were 13-11 a year ago.
 
"We're getting closer to having the entire team healthy and ready to compete, which is great," head coach Justin Stuckey said.
 
"We have two important tests this week. Lindenwood is an improved team from last year. We had the opportunity to play against them in our fall invitational and in the previous season and were pushed in matches both times. Doubles will be very key for us getting off to a good start.
 
"Butler has been a good match for us every year," Stuckey said. "They are solid in doubles and singles, so we can't be careless when we get our opportunities to take advantage of important points when they happen. Getting off to a good start in our singles matches will be important for us in this match."
 
Women's Preview
A four-match winning streak, including last week's 5-2 victory over Eastern Illinois, has boosted Saint Louis' record to 6-1.
 
Through seven dual matches, Elizabeth Mintusova (6-0) and Sandra Gines (5-0) lead the way in singles. Mya Spencer is 6-1, and Ksenia Aleshina is 5-1. Mintusova and Aleshina are 6-0 in doubles, while Spencer and Norhan Hesham own a 5-1 mark.
 
Missouri Western State, a member of the NCAA Division II Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association, is 3-0. The 2022 Griffons were 18-6, finished second in the MIAA Tournament and competed in the NCAA Division II Central Regional, winning their first match before being eliminated.
 
"Missouri Western is a strong Division II program that has been nationally ranked and an NCAA tournament qualifier in recent years," Stuckey said. "They are a very experienced team, so we'll have to be ready with our energy from the start of doubles. We worked a lot the past few practices with our consistency in singles, so look to see that pay off for us in Tuesday's match."