**Wichita State**
The Mizzou tennis team was close to home in Kansas City for a full day of matches. The Tigers took on Wichita State in an early match before returning to the courts to face UM-Kansas City in the evening. Entering the day, the Tigers were looking to add to their three-match win streak. By the end of the day, they began a new streak.
Against Wichita State, the Tigers gained an early advantage after holding on for the doubles point in a match tiebreaker, but players were unable to use the momentum to propel themselves to victory in singles competition. The team eventually fell 4-2.
Head coach Colt Gaston paired seniors Bea Machado Santos and Cassidy Spearman in the No. 2 doubles slot. The duo used their experience and skill to control the match, and they earned a 6-3 victory.
After Brianna Lashway and Tate Schroeder were unable to prevail against tough opponents in the No. 1 position, Mackenzy Middlebrooks and Amina Ismail were able to battle for a 7-6 (5) tiebreak victory.
Matches have typically gone well for the Tigers when they win the doubles point. Headed into Sunday, Missouri touted a 3-0 record after grabbing the early 1-0 lead; a different story was written after a fiery comeback by Wichita State’s Shockers.
In singles, Missouri looked to be well on its way to continuing its win streak after Ismail picked up her second victory of the day, 6-2, 6-1. The win gave the Tigers a 2-0 advantage in the match. The victory is Ismail’s team-leading 21st in the 2016-17 season.
Following Ismail’s victory, the Tigers faltered. Wichita State claimed four straight singles victories and secured the 4-2 overall match victory.
Some of the Tigers’ most reliable players suffered defeats during the four singles matches. Santos (4-6, 1-6) and Schroeder (3-6, 6-3, 3-6) each took losses that led to the defeat. The loss was Schroeder’s first singles defeat of the spring campaign.
**UMKC**
After a disappointing first match, Missouri looked to rebound when it took on UMKC. The Tigers bounced back and put on a passionate performance that decimated their opponents. Missouri cruised through the doubles matches and put on a blistering display in singles, sweeping the match by a score of 4-0.
Spearman has been on a tear since Friday, and she didn’t let up when it came time for her final match. She added two more wins to her resume, moving her to a perfect 5-0 on the weekend.
The doubles pairings remained unchanged against UMKC, and it paid dividends as Lashway and Schroeder picked up their second victory of the day by a score of 6-1. Spearman and Santos also kept their strong play going, taking their match by a 6-3 margin.
After struggling in its singles matches against Wichita State, Mizzou appeared focused to correct whatever issues were hampering its individual play.
Spearman was able to earn her singles victory after her opponent retired due to injury early in the first set.
Freshman Claire Sullivan made quick work of her opponent in the No. 6 position. She put on an impressive performance to take the 6-1, 6-0 victory. The win was Sullivan’s first dual win of her career.
Schroeder was able to add the finishing touches on the day, winning her match 6-4, 6-1. She quickly returned to the win column and improved her singles record to 5-1.
Overall the weekend was a success for the Tigers, even after suffering a minor setback. They finished 2-1 and improved to 5-2 on the season. Missouri won the doubles point in all three matches, an important trend they will look to continue.
Missouri will next travel to Minneapolis, for a Friday clash with the Golden Gophers of the University of Minnesota.
_Edited by Eli Lederman | elederman@themaneater.com_