THIS WEEK IN BILLIKEN TENNIS
Tuesday, April 11 • Women vs. Kansas City (Forest Lake Tennis Club, Chesterfield) • 2 p.m.
Thursday, April 13 • Women at Bradley • 1 p.m.
Saturday, April 15 • Women at Missouri (two matches) • 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.
 
The Saint Louis women's tennis team has a busy week in store as the Billikens play four matches vs. three different opponents. SLU plays its final home match of the season Tuesday, April 11, vs. Kansas City at Forest Lake Tennis Club in Chesterfield. Thursday, the Bills travel to Peoria, Ill., to take on Bradley. Saint Louis wraps up the week Saturday with two matches at Missouri.
 
Live results for all four matches are available on www.SLUBillikens.com.
 
Preview
The Billikens have won two straight and four of their last five matches to lift their record to 14-5. SLU needs one more victory to tie the fourth-highest total in program history, two more to match the third-highest total, and three more to equal the second-highest total.
 
Elizabeth Mintusova has a team-high 20 wins (20-5) this season; one more victory would tie her for 16th place on Saint Louis' all-time single-season list. Mintusova needs three wins to vault into the top 10.
 
Mintusova (13-2) and Mya Spencer (13-3) are tied for the team lead in dual-meet victories. Both players own 10 straight-sets dual wins. Spencer's 13 dual triumphs are a career high, while Mintusova has matched her career best.
 
Sandra Gines has won six of her last seven completed singles matches to boost her record to 11-3. Fiorella Duran, a winner in three of her last four, is the fourth Billiken to reach double figures in dual-meet victories (10-7).
 
Ksenia Aleshina returned to the lineup in the April 6 win at Dayton. Aleshina improved to 8-3 in duals with a victory in that match. She and Mintusova won their doubles match vs. Dayton to improve to 16-1 overall and 10-0 in duals (all at No. 2).
 
Mintusova has 22 total doubles victories (22-1), tying for seventh on the Billikens' all-time single-season list. The Saint Louis record is 26.
 
Spencer and Norhan Hesham carry a 10-5 mark at No. 1 doubles.
 
Kansas City of the Summit League has won five of its last six matches to improve to 8-9 on the season. The Roos and Billikens have played two common opponents this season. Both teams defeated Missouri State, and SLU topped Oral Roberts while Kansas City fell to the Golden Eagles.
 
Bradley, which reached the Missouri Valley Conference Championship semifinals a year ago, brings a 7-12 record into Thursday's contest. The Billikens and Braves have faced five common opponents in 2023. Both teams beat Eastern Illinois, Western Illinois and Missouri State; both lost to SIUE; and Bradley defeated Chicago State while SLU fell to the Cougars.
 
Southeastern Conference member Missouri is 10-14. The Tigers host Arkansas Friday before taking on Saint Louis. Two of Missouri's wins have come against Kansas City.
 
"Kansas City is one of the top teams in its conference this year and will be a good match for us," head coach Justin Stuckey said. "They have played great doubles over the past few matches, so we'll have to be ready to go in doubles to start the match.
 
"We've always had good matches with Bradley," Stuckey said. "They normally have great energy and play a very consistent style of tennis. Playing on the road is always more difficult, so our energy will be important when we play them.
 
"It's always a different kind of matchup when you get to play a team (Missouri) twice in one day," Stuckey said. "They have a good team, and from a competitive standpoint we can't afford to have a slow start. We'll need to depend on our depth to help us."